Changes
by TeamVampireAcademy15
Summary: <html><head></head>Many things happen to Rose, different changes added to her life, but some things are not what she expected. Please R&R, thank you xD *COMPLETE*</html>
1. prom

**Author's Note: Okay, this is my—officially—7****th**** story. I hope you guys like it and please R&R! Thank you! :D **

**Also, this VA fan fic takes place at St. Vladimir's Academy. And unlike the book, Rose and Lissa don't run away. Read and find out what happens! Okay thanks! :)**

"Hey, Rose." Lissa greeted me and fell into step beside me as I walked towards the building where they held classes. "Hey, Liss. Are you coming tomorrow night?" I asked. The bond told me her feelings were confused and wary.

"Where to?" She asked.

"The dance! There's gonna be a prom tomorrow night! So, are you coming or not?"

"Oh! Dang it. I completely forgot about that! Thanks for reminding me, Rose." She said gratefully.

We arrived outside the door to our Advanced Math class. We walked in and I flashed her a grin. We sat down in our desks, waiting for class to get out. I was still listening. It was just boring.

Class finally got out and I stood up immediately. Lissa said she had to go retake a test in another class, so that gave me time to do my own thing. We said our goodbyes and parted ways. I was about to leave the class room until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I pivoted on my right foot and saw Jesse Zeklos grinning at me. I gave him my man-eater smile. His eyes gleamed. "So, Rose, are you coming to prom tomorrow night?" He asked in a serious tone.

"Why wouldn't I?" I said.

He grinned again. "So do you want to come to prom with me?"

I was confused, trying to stall. I wasn't actually sure if I wanted to go with Jesse. "Hmm…I thought it was girl's choice?" I asked innocently.

He shook his head, an amused glint in his eyes. "Nope. It's guy's choice."

I sighed melodramatically and he laughed. "Fine. I'll go with you." I said.

"Okay. See you tomorrow night." He walked off ahead of me. I rolled my eyes but smiled. I walked out onto the quad and headed towards the gym for after school practice. I didn't know who was going to be my mentor, so I shrugged and walked in the doors of the gym and headed towards the changing room and I changed into my work-out clothes. I walked towards one of the mats, wondering who could be my mentor.

"Hey, are we gonna start practice or what?" I shouted to wherever my mentor was. He had to be here somewhere. Either that, or my mentor was still getting here. I heard a gust of wind coming in and I turned around and saw that my mentor was here. I lost my breath for a moment.

I swear, he was the hottest guy I have ever seen. Light brown hair that would probably go down to his shoulders but it was tied at the back of his neck. He walked closer, his expression guarded and alert as he walked up towards me. He was about a few feet away from me and he was tall. _Really_ tall. He had to be about 6'7, 6'8. Whoa. I grinned at him. "So you're my mentor?" I asked, my voice amused.

A smile played on his lips. "Yes. My name is Dimitri Belikov."

"Cool. My name is Rose Hathaway. Wow. A pleasure to meet you, Guardian Belikov." I was on the verge of laughing. But I controlled that urge and tried to morph my facial features into seriousness. I held out my hand and he shook it. Suddenly, I felt electricity run up my arm as he touched my hand. I pulled my hand back.

I ran a hand through my hair awkwardly. I knew at times it looked black, because it was a really dark brown. He then started the lesson.

He showed me techniques and all sorts of fighting moves and stances. Then the session was over. I walked out and I was surprised to find Dimitri fall into step beside me. "So how did I do, comrade?" I asked curiously.

He arched an eyebrow. I wished I could do that. "You did good. And don't call me that." He said.

I smiled. "It's your nickname now! Why wouldn't I call you it?"

He laughed, and his laugh was amused and warm. My heart fluttered for some odd reason. We were at my dorm by now. I grinned at him and walked inside the building. The Moroi and dhampirs were talking amongst themselves and I practically felt the tension and excitement in the air. I smiled, not forgetting the prom. I was excited too. Some Moroi guys whistled at my arrival and I rolled my eyes and smiled. I walked up the stairs to my room and shut the door behind me. I sat down on the floor in front of the door, a silly smile on my face. I was in love. And guess who it was? Dimitri. Dimitri Belikov. The smile on my face faded as I realized he had to be way older than me. Like, probably seven years older. I sighed and stood up and lay down on the bed on my stomach. I fell asleep in the same position, dreaming of Dimitri.

I tossed and turned all night in my bed, obviously restless. I didn't get to sleep until about six-thirty a.m. And then right when I went to sleep, the alarm went off. I groaned, getting up reluctantly. Then realization kicked in. Tonight was the prom. I groaned again, this time because I didn't really own any dresses. There was a knock at the door and I opened it and a Moroi girl gave me a long flat box with a separate small box atop of it. I took it, wondering if I should tip her. She left before I could and I closed the door behind me. I set the flat box on the bed and opened the smallest one. There was a note on top of the small flat box and I read the note.

**Hey, Rose, here's a couple gifts for you. I hope you like them. **

**~Lissa D.**

I should have figured it would be from Lissa. I opened the small box and saw a beautiful diamond necklace. It had several tiny jewels—it looked like diamonds—embedded in the chain and there was a diamond about the size of a pebble in the middle of the chain. It was beautiful. It came with matching earrings and those were beautiful too.

I put the lid back on the small box and set it back down on the bed. I lifted the lid from the long flat box and I gaped. In the box was a red sparkling dress that looked like it had spaghetti straps. I held it up to look at it better and it did have spaghetti straps. I grinned. It had a low V-neck but not _too_ low, thankfully. I tried it on and it went down to a little above my knees. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. I took it off and hung it up in my closet.

I laid down on my bed and fell asleep almost as soon as it hit the pillow.

I woke up and went to my before school practice, eager to see Dimitri. I got dressed into jeans and a plain cotton white tank-top. I practically ran down the stairs and out the front doors.

I arrived at the gym—breathless—and I noticed that Dimitri wasn't here yet. I shrugged and changed into my work out clothes in the changing room. I walked out into the middle of the gym and I turned around when I heard the gust of wind blow against me again. Dimitri was walking in, his hair definitely down to his shoulders since it wasn't tied up.

"So, just out of curiosity, how old are you? I really am curious." I said truthfully.

"Twenty-four." He replied calmly but with a hint of something I couldn't detect.

"Oh. Okay." I knew he'd be seven years older than me. I shrugged and then we started practice.

He wanted me to run on the track and I nodded. I jogged outside, and a cold rush of wind blasted into my face, blowing my hair behind me. Then the rush of wind calmed down. I went out to the track.

Dimitri was standing on the side of the track, keeping track of my time. I worked my muscles and lungs and legs. I ran three miles around the track and when I stopped running, I was barely breathless. He had approval and pride in his eyes. His lips curved into a small smile. "So, how long has it taken me? You know, the run?" I said calmly, though my heart was racing at both Dimitri's presence and the look in his eyes.

He glanced at his watch and he looked back up. "It took you one minute exactly. Your best record." He replied smoothly and calmly. But his eyes were alight with approval.

Practice was over and I walked back to the gym and changed out of my work-out clothes in the changing room and then Dimitri was walking beside me like he did yesterday. I hid a smile and I tried to get my heart to stop beating so fast. I risked a glance up at Dimitri and he was staring straight ahead, his expression calm and blank. The kind of expression most guardians usually have.

We said our goodbyes and when he was out of sight, I ran up to my room and shut the door behind me. I smiled to myself. Then my smile faded. I realized that I was going to protect Lissa when I graduated. I sighed in frustration. I did _not_ need this complication in my life.

The time for prom came and I was grateful for a distraction. I put on my red sparkling dress with matching flats—I didn't do heels that often and I was thankful that Lissa gave me flats that would be just as good as heels—and I slipped them on my feet and I heard a knock at my door.

I could sense through the bond it was Lissa and I told her, "You know you're welcome to come in," as I opened the door. She walked in, and she wore a gorgeous pale green dress with gold flowers designed in the dress.

"Thanks for the dress, Liss." I said gratefully.

"You're welcome. Now, let's get your makeup on." She smiled.

I nodded and sat down on the chair that I sit in whenever I go on the computer or doing homework. I closed my eyes when she applied eye-shadow.

Then I opened my eyes when she was done applying eye-shadow to my eyelids. She then applied a light red blush to my cheeks, and I knew she wouldn't make me look like a clown. Then she glossed my lips. She then styled my hair.

"Okay. You're done." She told me. I got up and looked in the mirror. Apparently, she did a ponytail—that somehow managed to look amazing with the silver barrette that was placed—and the rest of me looked amazing.

"Thank you!" I hugged her and she hugged me back and then pulled away. "So, Liss. Who are you going with?"

"With an old friend of ours. Well, I don't think you'll like him too much." She kept her thoughts composed, I noticed through the bond. We walked down the stairs, and the lobby was empty. Probably because everyone's at the gym for prom, I thought.

I saw a boy who looked like he was Moroi and he walked up to us and fell into step beside Lissa. I stared at Lissa in surprise. It was Christian Ozera who was walking beside Lissa.

I sighed and we arrived at the gym. We walked through and a lot of Moroi guys stopped mingling and stared. Jesse walked up to me and glanced from my face down to my feet. I smiled my man-eater smile. Lissa rolled her eyes and walked off with Christian.

Jesse took my hand and we danced to an upbeat song and I recognized it as, _**All About Tonight**_ by_** Blake Shelton**_. I laughed as Jesse actually attempted break dancing. He was pretty good at it too, surprisingly. I was having a great time so far. Guardians stood in small groups, watching the Moroi and novices dance and laugh. The song called, _**Here we go Again**_ played. The artist was _**Demi Lovato. **_

I danced along, the chorus of the song matching what my heart was saying. I noticed Alberta Petrov—the captain of all the guardians on campus—and Stan Alto, a teacher I didn't really get along with much. I noticed Dimitri watching me from one of the groups of guardians. I smiled and the song changed to something I didn't recognize but I could tell it was a slow song. I put my arms around Jesse's neck and he wrapped his arms around my waist. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, "There's a party going on in Brandon's room. We can go up there if you want." His arms tightened around me gently and I smiled up at him. "Wish I could. But I don't really feel like going and 'sides, I don't want to risk getting in trouble." He pulled away, staring at me in surprise.

"You of all people don't _want_ to risk getting in trouble?" He said very skeptically.

I sighed, frustrated. "Yes. I don't want to risk getting in trouble. Geez, people can change, Jesse." I then walked off to a side wall, not really having fun anymore. I sat down against the wall, cross-legged, and shut my eyes, trying to calm down the emotions inside of me. I heard someone walk up and I could tell through the bond that it wasn't Lissa, she was dancing with Christian. Ugh. I opened my eyes and noticed Dimitri looking down at me and I felt a very slight dizziness just looking up at him. I shut my eyes again, not wanting to talk to him. My heart fluttered as usual whenever I was near him. Abruptly, I was standing and I opened my eyes and glanced around. I didn't want to meet Dimitri's eyes.

"Rose, look at me." I didn't.

"Rose…" He said warningly.

I started to walk away but Dimitri pushed me against the wall, holding my wrists. He glanced around and then he took my hand—his hand felt warm on mine—and led me out of the prom. He took me towards to an edge of the forest, farther from the gym. We were under a shadow of a cedar tree. I finally met his eyes. I glared. "Why'd you take me out here?" I demanded.

"Because I wanted to talk to you."

"Fine. Talk. Go ahead." I said stiffly. He sighed.

"Rose, you shouldn't have been dancing with Mr. Zeklos. He has a bad reputation for young dhampir girls."

I scoffed. "Isn't it my choice who I dance with?"

"Yes, but if you want to be a guardian, you need to show more respect and you need to learn self-control. I'd been teaching you that after all."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Let me guess, I also can't go to parties. Not that I wanted to this time. I didn't feel like it." I shrugged. His eyebrows shot up but then his expression relaxed into composure.

"Ah. So, I must have misheard the conversation." He said calmly but there was something in his eyes…

I sighed in frustration. "Can I _please_ go back to my dorm now?" I said with exaggerated politeness.

He arched an eyebrow. "Don't you want to go dance?"

"I didn't know I was allowed!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air in exasperation.

"You are. You can dance with other novices, just not Moroi."

"Fine." I said and then started to walk away when he grabbed my shoulder and I nearly fell backwards.

"Rose." He said.

"What?" I started to demand but I fell silent as his gaze practically ate my heart.

He pulled away abruptly, looking shaken. "I'll see you later." He then walked off. I stared after him. I groaned. I hated my complicated life.

Prom was over when the moon was shining—the Academy went by a nocturnal schedule—and I went back to my dorm, wanting to mope. Lissa fell into step beside me. I forced a smile for her. "Did you have fun, Liss? With Christian?" I teased.

"I'm just surprised you haven't started yelling at him or beating him up. And yes, I did enjoy dancing with Christian." She smiled to herself. We said goodbye and Lissa turned around so she meet up with Christian. I arrived at my dorm and shut the door behind me, tears leaking out of my eyes. I pulled my knees up—not wanting to get out of the dress—and wrapped my arms around my knees. I started crying, wondering what was going to happen with my life. I wiped the tears with the backs of my hands and stood up and laid down in my bed and fell asleep in my dress.

I woke up, not sleeping much because my mind kept flashing images of Lissa being murdered or turned by Strigoi because I wasn't good enough to protect her. I stood up—my legs shaky—and I managed to make it to the door without falling. Now, hopefully I wouldn't trip down the stairs. And that hope was gone. I tripped over my flats I'd worn last night and crashed onto the tile of the floor. I heard my name being called or shouted over and over again and then I fell unconscious…

I woke up to a familiar voice. He had a slight Russian accent and I realized who it was. I opened my eyes and saw that I was in a white room and I realized I was at the Clinic. Dimitri was sitting in a chair next to my bed.

"How are you feeling?" His eyes looked worried.

"I'm fine." I mumbled, groggy.

"I can tell when you lie, Roza."

I flinched. "I've told plenty of good lies. People have believed them."

He shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Maybe other people have believed you, but not me."

I sighed. "I feel idiotic."

"Is that because you tripped down your dorm stairs and hit your heard hard against the tile, causing it to bleed?" He asked. I grimaced in disgust. "Seriously? That happened? Ugh. Now I feel embarrassed."

He put his hand on mine and replied, "Actually, you shouldn't feel embarrassed. Well, it's probably normal in other situations, but you hit your head pretty hard. You don't know how I felt, Roza, when they called me to come take you here." He said.

"How…how did you feel?" I asked, shutting my eyes and I waited for the denial.

"Sad and regretful. I shouldn't have accused you, Roza. I'm sorry." He sounded sincere.

I smiled, not opening my eyes. I put my other hand—my left—on top of his and opened my eyes. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. _I'm_ the one who ought to be apologizing. And it's okay. It's no biggie." I grinned.

He smiled and then the doctor came in and I reluctantly glanced at her. "You're free to go, Rose. You're probably gonna have a wicked headache and keep the bandage on at all times. It's waterproof." She added, seeing my face. Dimitri chuckled. I got up off the bed and I felt a brief dizziness. I swayed and Dimitri caught me before I fell. I pulled away immediately and walked out of the room, and I looked down and I realized I still had the dress on. I pursed my lips and then walked out of the clinic, whistling cheerfully, even though I'd just been in a hospital.

The birds were chirping, the…moon was shining and the grass was green. Well, I guessed since the sun wasn't up for obvious reasons. I was still whistling cheerfully as I went to practice and I felt cheerful, an emotion I hadn't felt in a long time.

Yeah, I was cheerful. And no one could ruin my cheeriness.

**A/N: Thank you for reading!(: I appreciate it! Please review! Thanks! I'll update soon, don't worry. xD**


	2. gone

**Author's Note**

**Hey everyone! I hope you'll like/review this chapter, I appreciate it(: Thank you for reading this story so far! Here's the second chapter of my newest story, **_**First Time I Met You. **_

_*Next Day*_

It was Saturday, so I didn't actually have to go to school thankfully. Neither did Lissa. She'd apparently met Christian—she hadn't met him before, but I had unfortunately—in the church's attic. I had mentally groaned when she'd said that. Now they're friends and I hoped against hope that they wouldn't start dating—for a number of reasons.

First, because of his bad influence. Not that I think he would turn Strigoi at any moment. (His smirk and attitude didn't really help things either.) And second, because if they started dating, they'd probably be all lovey-dovey and all cute-like together. Ugh.

But, if they started dating, I wouldn't—and couldn't—stop Lissa because I could tell she loved him. She didn't really love Aaron, a Moroi guy, whom we both know from classes, because he really wasn't interesting to her romantically. So they were just friends, though how on earth she could find something interesting in Aaron as just friends, I had no idea. But still, she might possibly love Christian, and whenever she's around him, she feels happy and glowing. I could tell. Obviously.

I was at practice—the bandage was off my head by now—waiting for Dimitri to come. He walked in and told me we weren't doing anything hard today. I stared at him as though he were crazy.

"What? Comrade, I'm perfectly recovered enough for you to throw me some kick butt moves."

He shrugged. "Alberta's orders. She doesn't want me to teach you anything hard because, well, you're still recovering. Does your head still throb sometimes?" He asked.

I glared at him. "Yes, but…Oh. I see what you mean." I grumbled, looking down. He surprised me by cupping my chin and lifting my chin to meet his eyes. I couldn't look away from his compassionate gaze. He had a smile playing on his lips.

"Rose, don't worry. Your injury will go away in a few days at the very least."

I sighed and shut my eyes for a moment. I opened them a moment later. "I know. I guess I shouldn't have looked at you like you were the one who was crazy." I said ruefully.

This time, he shocked me by putting his arm around my shoulders. Then he pulled away abruptly and told me he would show me how to use a stake. I shouted, "Awesome!" loud enough that it echoed throughout the gym. He laughed and I laughed too.

Then we walked in the room and I saw a bunch of dummies that were lined up next to each other and they actually looked realistic. I touched one and they felt realistic too. I had a silly grin on my face. It faded as Dimitri was holding a silver stake by the hilt. He held it out to me, and he arched an eyebrow.

I reached out my hand slowly and he gave it to me. I turned it around it my arms, looking at every angle curiously. Dimitri watched me with a politely amused expression on his face. I gave it back to him, reluctantly. But I knew he had to do the lesson if I wanted to someday stake Strigoi efficiently.

He showed me the right moves to stake a Strigoi. He slid the stake upward between the dummy's 'ribs' and staked it. He pulled out the stake as fast as he did the staking itself. I didn't smile, because I knew it was no easy—or fun—task to stake actual Strigoi. He gave me the stake and showed me how to stake the dummy and with a little help from Dimitri, I managed to stake the dummy between its 'ribs'.

My eyebrows shot up at what I'd done. My jaw dropped and Dimitri laughed, again politely amused. Suddenly, my stomach felt as though it's twisted. I had a really weird—and horrible—feeling that Dimitri didn't feel the same. But what I felt for him was just a crush, right? It happened all the time, I'd bet, considering his hot looks.

But, somehow, I understood him. I understood that he missed home, though he'd never mention it out loud. I could tell it all in his eyes. I didn't get how I understood these little things about him; I just did.

I smiled and I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder; practice was over. "See you later, comrade." I waved once and left the room.

I walked out and as I did, I bumped into Mason, a friend of mine. I mentally scolded myself for not going with Mason or at least with a group of friends to the prom. Oh well, I thought. Prom's over. I smiled my man-eater smile. "Hey, Mason. I haven't seen you in a while. What's up?" I said curiously. He shrugged.

"Oh, I'd just been sick—in fact I was so badly sick that I had to stay home. Like, back at my _home_. As in, away from the—"I cut him off and laughed. "I get it. Wow. That must have sucked for you." I said thoughtfully, still chuckling.

He chuckled too and nodded in agreement. "Well, see you later, Rose. I gotta go." He then ran off to the building where classes were being held, even though the school day was over. It was midday for the Moroi, so the sun wasn't even close to rising yet.

I arrived at the dhampir dorms and went up to my room and laid back on my bed, feeling exhausted. I then fell asleep, dreaming of my possible future.

_**~*DIMITRI'S POV*~**_

I was in my room reading one of the western novels when I heard a knock on my door. I set the book down and opened it, and I was surprised to see Vasilisa standing there. I gestured her to come in.

"What can I do for you, princess?" I asked calmly.

There were tears in her eyes. I was confused. Then she spoke.

"Dimitri...Rose isn't in her room. She must have been completely asleep when the stupid humans kidnapped her!" She started sobbing and she fell on her knees. I knelt beside her, ignoring the way my heart was beating.

"What do you mean, Rose is gone? And why would humans kidnap her…?" My voice trailed off.

She glanced up at me, tears leaking out of her eyes and spilling down her cheeks and dripping onto her shirt. "Dimitri…we have some leads. And when I say, 'we' I mean Christian, me, and Alberta and headmistress Kirova.

"And one of the things we know is that when the humans managed to get in here—by looking like dhampirs, since well, dhampirs look a lot like humans, they tricked the guardian on duty at the gate in case you're wondering—well, they walked up towards Rose's room—the clerk at the desk told me all this and I told Kirova and she told Alberta—and they kidnapped her. Also…we have a tracking device on one of the humans…" She hesitated.

My composure was slipping majorly. "What? You need to tell me, princess."

She stared at me with an exasperated expression on her face. "Please call me Lissa." She said and I nodded.

She sighed raggedly. "Well…we saw on the tracking device where they took her…"

"Where?" I asked, slightly frantic.

She glanced away and I could tell she was trying to control her breathing.

"They took her to a home full of Strigoi." She finally said.

I stared wide-eyed at Lissa, though I wasn't actually paying attention to her. I couldn't believe it. _Why _on earth would they kidnap Rose of all people? I couldn't help a sharp growl. Lissa looked concerned and worried and slightly confused. I stood up and held out a hand. She took it and we walked out, Lissa walking behind me.

I was going to do whatever—and I mean _whatever_—it took to get Roza back.

Even if I get killed.

**Author's Note**

**I hope you liked this chapter! Please no harsh reviews. I am completely fine with strong opinions thought. Please review and tell me what you think! And thanks for reading! This chapter isn't a major cliff hanger, but…yeah. Also, I'm not going to update until I get **_**at least**_** 5 reviews for this story/chapter. I've seen a couple authors on here do that…so yeah. I doubt it's gonna be permanent and at least I'm not doing like 50 reviews or something like that. Okay, bye for now! (:**


	3. Saving Dimitri

**Author's Note: Okay, I hope you'll like this chapter! ^_^ **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15**

_***Rose's P.O.V***_

I woke up in an unfamiliar room. I felt my Strigoi-alarm warn me that there were Strigoi in this house. And unfortunately, I didn't have my stake.

I stood up warily and walked silently over to the door and right when I got there, the door opened, smacking me in the head.

Fortunately, it didn't hit me hard enough for me to stumble and fall. I backed away as I saw a Strigoi enter.

My back pressed against the wall and he ran, with that lightning speed all Strigoi had, towards me and pinned my arms to the wall. His lips went straight to my neck and I felt sharp teeth on my neck. I tried struggling, but soon the Strigoi endorphins became too much.

I grew weaker as he drank long and deep. I hated being helpless and I especially hated being weak.

I couldn't believe this was happening to me. I didn't want to believe this was happening. Then he pulled away, licking his lips. He smiled maliciously at me.

Then he was at the door. I fell to my knees and I clenched my teeth and I stood up and ran towards him, but he left the room, and I heard the lock click. I swore loudly. I walked to the bed and lay against it.

Then I heard it: Grunts and sounds of fighting coming from downstairs. I ran towards the door and tried to find something to kick it down. I couldn't find anything. I cussed again and I just kicked the door multiple times and it actually opened on its own.

The lock must have not been that good of a lock, I thought. Then I ran out into the hall and saw, on the floor downstairs, several guardians fighting Strigoi.

I didn't see Dimitri fighting the Strigoi. I was so focused on the fight below that I flinched when someone grabbed my shoulder. I turned around quickly and I saw Dimitri staring at me with relief and concern. I swayed on my feet, and I passed out soon after.

***********  
>I woke up in a familiar room. I was in a bed in the Academy's clinic. I felt relief swell inside of me that I was out of that wretched place. Then Lissa walked in, tears in her eyes. "Lissa, what is it? What's wrong?" I asked, concern plain in my voice. She was blocking her thoughts.<p>

"Rose…Dimitri…was forced Strigoi. I'm so, so sorry, Rose!" She cried and locked her arms around me, crying into my shirt. I didn't move. I was frozen. No way was this real. No way.

I gently pushed her back. I wiped her tears with my fingers. "It's okay, Liss. I'll find a way to save him." I was surprised to find that when I spoke, my voice was calm. I smiled reassuringly at her and I felt through the bond that she was surprised too. I slid the blankets off me and I got up off the bed.

"Liss, I have to leave the Academy. I don't want you coming with—" I began and she interrupted. "No. I'm coming with you." She said stubbornly.

"I was going to say, I don't want you coming without protection." I said and grinned at her shocked expression.

"Rose, I'm surprised you're taking this so easy." She said. I sighed.

"Liss, I'm pretty good at controlling my reactions. I guess I've changed since I met Dimitri. And we'll save him. We will." I said fiercely, mostly to myself.

We walked out and I saw my friend Eddie Castile fell into step beside us.  
>"What's going on? I heard Guardian Belikov was….forcibly turned." Eddie said. Then Christian fell into step beside Eddie. Then <em>Mason<em> fell into step beside me. I groaned.

"Guys, me and Lissa are going on a trip to save Dimitri. I can't just bring all of you. Christian, with your fire, you can come if you want. But, Mason, you are _not_ coming. Eddie, if he wants, since he's a very good guardian-in-training can come. The more help we can get. Sorry, Mase." I said.

Mason sighed heavily and then he waved goodbye. "Okay, fine. Good luck." He then walked off, mumbling unintelligibly. I sighed too.

Then Christian said, "I'll definitely go. It gives me the opportunity to protect Lissa. And use my fire element on the stupid Strigoi."

Eddie said simply, "Sure, I'll go. Anything it takes to protect these two."

We then walked off towards the gate. Lissa used a small amount of her compulsion on the guard and that was all it took. He let us through and Lissa made sure that he would forget all of this, completely erasing his memory of us, and then we walked through the gate.

We walked off. And I knew I'd have to kill Dimitri, and free him from his awful state. I made sure my stake was in my coat pocket and then we headed off.

_**~Three hours later~**_

We were on the plane to Siberia, Russia. I had figured that was where Dimitri had to have been, but I also had a feeling that it was going to be no easy task finding him.

We didn't do much talking. I sat by Eddie and Lissa sat by Christian. I felt Lissa's determination through the bond.

We arrived in Siberia, Russia and we stepped off the plane and into the warm air. Huh. I'd always thought that Siberia was some sort of arctic wasteland. I was wrong apparently. Dimitri had always commented that I wasn't even close to picturing Siberia right. My heart ached as I knew I had to kill Dimitri and free him from his awful state. We walked towards one of the cities, I think it was called Baia, but I wasn't sure. It was a somewhat large city.

I was alert and kept my senses high, even though the sun was out. But there could be humans—or certain Moroi—that could hurt Lissa and Christian. I glanced to my right and saw that Eddie was also being alert and kept his senses high.

I led them to an alley between two brick buildings. I told them, "Okay, let's find a hotel or motel, whatever, and we'll stay the night there. Okay? And I will search for Dimitri when night grows and you two will rest and Eddie will guard you two. Okay?" I said, hoping they'll go along with it. Eddie and Lissa agreed with the plan.

Unfortunately, Christian wasn't. "I could be really useful if it came to a fight with Strigoi!" He exclaimed, not loudly, but not quietly either. Luckily his outburst didn't attract attention.

"Yes, you would be useful. But I thought you wanted to protect Lissa? 'Sides, Eddie could use the help just in case you bump into a Strigoi." I replied smoothly and I knew Christian knew I was right.

He sighed and we started off to find a motel.

We found a motel not far from the alley we'd planned in. Lissa paid for it and I complained at first, but she just smiled and told me we had more than enough cash. I sighed and we checked in and walked up the stairs and into our room. We had one room.

Lissa and Christian laid down next to each other on one of the two beds. I could tell through the bond that Lissa was exhausted from being out in the sun a lot. I stood guard at the window and Eddie stood guard beside the door. I watched as the sun set.

A couple hours passed, and the moon was out. I grabbed my jacket and put it on. I grabbed my stake and I headed out. Before I did, I murmured to Eddie, "Make sure that she's okay." He knew who I meant by 'she'. He nodded, a fierce protective expression on his face. He was one of the few novices—like me—who actually understood what it meant to protect Moroi and fight Strigoi. He was a kick-butt fighter like me. I smiled and then as I walked out the door, my smile faded.

I knew I had to do this.

I walked outside and breathed in the air. Just in case I happened to die. But I knew I was strong. I turned to my left and walked. I fought Strigoi along the way and staked each one efficiently and smoothly. Well, not all the Strigoi I fought went smoothly. Some were harder to stake. But, like always, I managed to stake them.

I also managed to pin a Strigoi to the ground and, typically, he struggled and kept snarling.

"Where is Dimitri Belikov?" I said to the Strigoi. He kept growling.

With the stake, I slashed his cheek. He screamed and growled. But then I saw realization come in his eyes. He smirked. "Yeah, I know where he is. He's off hunting with the rest of us. Hunting humans and dhampirs like you. Even Moroi." He said.

"Tell him my name. Rose Hathaway. Repeat it." I said through clenched teeth.

"Okay. Sure. It would be better if he kills you, then we wouldn't have to keep finding you and hunting you." He said.

I let him go cautiously. He ran off with that lightning speed all Strigoi had. And within seconds, he was gone. I was standing in an alley. I started walking back to the motel.

I walked in our room and Lissa was asleep, and Christian was awake, watching her. Eddie was standing at the same position by the door. I told Christian and Eddie what I did. Eddie nodded and Christian exclaimed quietly, so he wouldn't wake up Lissa, "What?"

I replied just as quietly, "I had to. So he would let Dimitri know I was here in Russia." Christian looked at me as though I was insane. I probably was.

I shrugged and I said to Eddie, "Go get some rest. You need to conserve your strength. I'll watch the door. And yes, I'm fully rested." I added, seeing his expression. He nodded and walked towards the second bed and laid down.

I kept my expression smooth and composed, and I tried to ignore the burning feelings inside of me. Christian eventually fell asleep next to Lissa.

I stared straight ahead. Then there was a sudden knock at the door. I peeked through the hole and all I saw was a man's chest. I frowned in confusion. Then I opened the door a crack.

Who I saw made my heart stop. I couldn't believe it. I hurried and squeezed through the crack and closed the door behind me. I stared up at his face, his oh, so familiar face. His brown eyes…ringed in red…and his shoulder-length brown hair tied in a ponytail at the back of his neck.

Dimitri stared back and then he said: "You forgot one of my lessons, Roza. Don't hesitate." Then he knocked me on the back of the head and I fell unconscious…

I woke up in an unfamiliar room and my head throbbed. I sat up, and I realized all my stake was gone, and so was my jacket. I frowned in confusion. Then I took in the room. I was sitting on a red plush bed, and I stood up and I saw a mini fridge in the corner of the room, nearest to the plasma screen T.V. There was two couches, one against the wall and one under the window. It was very heavily tinted, I noticed. The walls were blood red, and the floor was wood but colorful rugs were placed on different spots—in front of the bed, in between the two couches under the black wooden coffee table—on the floor.

There was a door—metal with a keypad next to it—and I went to it and tried to type in different numbers. It didn't open. I swore under my breath. Then the door opened suddenly and then it closed.

Dimitri was standing there. He strode over to me and pushed me so my back was against the wall. He stared at me with a calculating expression.

"Why'd you bring me here?" I asked.

His lips curved into a cold smile. "Because I wanted you—I still do—and because I figured you'd be important—in many ways—once you're awakened." He replied coldly and with malicious amusement.

I smiled and I decided to keep the conversation going. "Oh, that's what this is about? You're gonna awaken me? Hmm…I'd have to think about it." I replied in a teasing voice.

He narrowed his eyes. He pushed me harder against the wall and pressed his body against mine. He leaned down and kissed my lips fiercely. I tried to struggle, but I couldn't because he was holding me tight, so tight that I could hardly breathe. I had to kiss back because it was my reflex reaction. Well, it was my reflex reaction when it came to him and kissing. But when it came to fighting? T

I kicked his leg as hard as I could, trying to escape, and amazingly, he didn't growl. He just smiled coldly. I swallowed back tears and clenched my teeth so I wouldn't cry.

I somehow managed to get out of his hold after I kicked him. Or maybe he'd let me go. Either way, he was walking towards me and I was backing away. I looked behind me and I barely glimpsed a wooden chair before I looked back at Dimitri.

I bumped into the chair—I could feel the wood—and I grabbed it and I somehow managed to break one of the legs off it. I pointed it towards him and his smile faded. He narrowed his eyes again, and I could practically see the wheels turning in the back of his head. I knew he was trying to look at our situation from all angles.

Wood wouldn't kill Strigoi, of course, but it would stall him. Suddenly, I smelled smoke. I frowned and Dimitri did too. He was at the door in an instant. Literally, considering he was a freaking Strigoi.

I had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes open wide—if he wasn't a Strigoi, I wouldn't have been satisfied at his expression—for an instant then it became annoyed. He punched in a code and the door opened. He actually somehow forgot to close door. I didn't waste a moment.

I ran out the door and I was in a hallway. I frowned. Then I felt Lissa's presence. I didn't have time to ask questions, or even probe deeply into the bond, there was a battle going on between Strigoi and…

…Christian and Eddie. Lissa just stood off to the side. I went straight to her side. I noticed she was holding a stake. I gaped at that. She glanced at me, fear in her eyes and the bond. But there was also determination in her eyes and in the bond.

She sent me a message through the bond. _Rose, you and Eddie hold Dimitri down. I'm going to stake him. It has my magic on it, it's charmed, and I'll explain later. Just hold down Dimitri…well if you want him back as a dhampir..._ I gave her a look. She smiled a little. Then I nodded and I went towards Dimitri. He growled sharply.

"What are you doing, Roza? We could have had eternity!" He said, strangely calm. I'd noticed his moods changed more often since he'd been forcibly turned into a Strigoi.

It was hard to hold him down, really hard actually, even with Eddie holding him down too, and Dimitri almost had me, except Christian actually smothered Dimitri in flames, not enough so he was a man-shaped bonfire—we could still see his face, and he was yelling too—and he left a spot on his chest where Lissa could stake him.

Lissa came running over. At first, she couldn't manage to get the stake into her heart. Then: She slid the stake into his heart and there was a huge, absolutely _huge_ white light, so bright I couldn't even see anything but white for a moment, and then…it was gone. For an instant, the white light was there, making me temporarily blinded by white light.

Then I saw Dimitri's head on Lissa's lap. He looked like he was crying. He was murmuring something I couldn't make out. I crawled closer, since I was lying face down previously, and I managed to make out what he was saying. He was saying my name.

"Roza…Roza…" He murmured over and over again.

"I'm here, Dimitri." I placed my hand on his, which was at his side. He opened his eyes and turned his face toward me. He sat up—amazingly, he didn't have any burn marks—and I crawled over to him, holding him close.

We all had moments of vulnerability. Dimitri wasn't invulnerable. He cried too. He wasn't perfect.

**Author's Note**

**Thank you for the reviews!(: I appreciate them!(: I hope you liked this chapter :D Thanks for reading so far! **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15**


	4. falling for Dimitri

**Author's Note**

**I hope you like this chapter! And if any of you have any questions, or you're confused about something that involved any part in this story, then feel free to speak up! As long as they're not harsh (: Thank you! Here's the next chapter! **

We were back at the Academy, and I had been chastised for encouraging Lissa—even though she chose to go, they still thought I 'wanted' her to go—and Christian, again they thought I 'wanted'….Okay, well, I sort of did want Christian to go, but he was sort of necessary in the end. Eddie actually defended me, and so his defense got me out of a whole lot of trouble. Lissa was chastised for using compulsion on the guard and she sincerely apologized, even though I wasn't there, I could still feel it through the bond.

She wasn't in trouble; all she got was a chastisement.

Dimitri on the other hand…I had no idea where he was. When we left Russia, after Dimitri was turned back into a dhampir, I had gotten hit on the head by a Strigoi. So I was unconscious the rest of that night.

I was sitting on my bed in my dorm. I missed Dimitri so much it ached. I was going to graduate in a few hours, so I pushed Dimitri out of my head and headed downstairs.

I bumped into a tall Moroi guy on my way out the dorm building. "Oops, sorry." I muttered to the Moroi. He turned around, a smirk on his face. His smirk turned into a grin as amusement gleamed in his green, emerald-like eyes.

I was facing Adrian Ivashkov. The Ivashkovs were one of the biggest clans on the earth. I didn't expect to bump into him. He smiled and took my hand and kissed the back of my hand in a very old fashioned gesture. I raised my eyebrows and took my hand away.

"So what's your name, little dhampir?" He asked casually.

"Rose Hathaway. Why?" I asked warily. He shrugged.

"Just curious. Wait. Did you say, _Rose _Hathway?" He said, his eyes widening.

"No, I said Mia Hathaway. Of course I said Rose Hathaway! Can you even hear?" I said sarcastically. He laughed and the sound of it was like caramel dripping from a spoon. I sighed.

I started to walk off, but he grabbed my shoulder. "Hey, we should hang out sometime." He said to me. I heard of his reputation before, so I couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean, 'hang out'?"

He chuckled. "You know, get to know each other, have fun, do things no person has done before." He chuckled again. I sighed again. "I have to go graduate. 'Bye." I then walked off and he didn't stop me. My heart ached as I passed the gym.

I was lost in my memories of Dimitri as I walked towards where the graduation ceremony was taking place.

I remembered kissing Dimitri. Well, actually that was just my fantasy, since I had absolutely _no_ idea what kissing Dimitri was like. And, I also had no idea if he felt the same…

I remembered meeting Dimitri for the first time.

I remembered seeing his gorgeous hair tied up at the back of his neck in a short ponytail.

Okay, I knew he wasn't dead—thank goodness—but for some reason, I feel slightly—just slightly—depressed since he wasn't here. He should have been here, watching me graduate.

I walked in the cafeteria, where there was a long horizontal platform—or stage—at the front of the room. The tables we'd eaten at were gone, and they were replaced by chairs so the audience could sit in. I walked down the aisle between the chairs. Guardians lined the walls, and, shocking me, I actually saw Dimitri among them. _Dimitri. _I kept a smooth, composed face and didn't look at him.

There were already some people sitting in chairs, and I didn't recognize a man—with black hair, and a goatee and a gold earring dangling from his right ear—but I felt as though I should have recognized him. I walked ahead and as I walked past him, I could have sworn I saw him wink at me, but I wasn't entirely sure. I walked up the steps to the stage and sat down in my assigned seat. Meredith—another rare female novice—was sitting next to me.

"Hey, Rose. Are you excited to graduate?" Meredith asked.

"Heck, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" I said, trying to keep the shock from seeing Dimitri out of my voice.

"True." Then Alberta stood up and went to the podium.

She tested the microphone and it apparently worked.

"Welcome to Saint Vladimir's Academy's graduation ceremony! We'd like to present our dhampir graduates: Rosemarie Hathaway, Meredith, Edison Castile, Dean Barnes, Shane Reyes, and Mason Ashford. Plus, several other dhampirs. Rosemarie, will you please go to the front?" I stood up and walked towards the front of the stage with my hands behind my back, in a normal guardian gesture. I kept my face composed and smooth.

"Edison, will you please come up to the front of the stage also, next to Rosemarie?" I heard Eddie come up next to me, holding the same position next to me. She called others, including Meredith, Dean, Shane and Mason. They all did the same position, as did other dhampirs I didn't know the names to.

I stared straight ahead, then it was time for the promise mark all guardians get when they graduate. Alberta called my name, and I sat down in the one chair to the left of the podium, so everyone could see.

I leaned forward and bowed my head so all my hair fell in front of my face, so the guardian—I think his name was Lionel—could work on the back of my neck.

I glanced up—without moving my head—through my hair at Dimitri, who was still in the same position I saw him in when I walked in. Lionel said I was done, so I got up and walked back to my chair against the wall. I sat down.

A few hours passed by as Lionel tattooed the promise marks on the back of each graduate's necks. Then, it was done. We were graduated. The senior Moroi had already graduated along with us.

We were officially guardians. We were going to be assigned to our Moroi in a moment.

Alberta spoke, reading off a clipboard. "Rosemarie Hathaway…Your official charge is….Vasilisa Dragomir!" I nodded once and Alberta handed me a silver stake, a real silver stake. I put it in a loop on my belt, and it fit perfectly. I walked down the steps of the stage and walked straight to Lissa. Her feelings were excited, exalted, and happy. She smiled at me serenely, but otherwise her expression was calm. I smiled back.

I heard Mason's name be called, and his charge was Brandon Lazar. Eddie's name was called and, in a surprising twist, his charge was Mia Rinaldi. Eddie went straight to Mia, and I swear, Mia's face reddened. I gave Lissa a nudge, and turned her around so she saw Mia's face. Lissa gaped, and I smiled. Mia rolled her eyes at us, but smiled anyway.

Lissa went back to staring at Christian ruefully. She wished desperately he'd get a guardian. Then I heard Dimitri's name called. He wasn't graduating, but I think he was one of the few guardians who didn't have an official charge to protect. He was just one of the extras they'd called for campus. Back-up guardians, I think it was called.

Dimitri walked up the steps to the stage gracefully. I didn't get how someone so tall, could be so graceful. I stared after him. Alberta spoke again. "Dimitri Belikov's charge is…Christian Ozera!" Alberta smiled at Dimitri and I felt Lissa's shock and happiness. Dimitri glanced at me, and our eyes met. I felt like melting under his gaze. Then he glanced away, but I still felt like there was a bond between me and Dimitri, nothing like my bond with Lissa, but more of a bond of love, understanding. I felt like I connected with Dimitri, though I had no idea if he felt the same…

Christian came up to us and Dimitri was right behind him. I glanced at Lissa, who smiled serenely at Christian. She felt like she was glowing, and happy whenever she was around Christian. She grinned at me. I grinned back.

Alberta called for the graduates to get on the Academy's planes they kept on campus in a clearing in the forest. We walked out of the commons, and outside, where the moon shone down on us.

"Oh my gosh, I can't wait till we get to the Royal Court! Aren't you excited, Rose?" Lissa asked, and she couldn't quite keep the excitement out of her voice. I opened my mouth to reply, but the man with the black hair and black goatee came up to us.

He smiled jovially at us. "Hello, Rose. Congratulations on your achievement. Or I ought to say, achievement_s_. Hello, Vasilisa." He nodded to her. He nodded to Dimitri. "Belikov."

I saw Dimitri nod back politely, but only I could tell that his eyes tightened very slightly. "How do you know my name?" I asked the man. He smiled again. "Well, your mother, the lovely Janine, has told me about you. My name is Abe Mazur. Well, since I'm your father, I think I'll go to the Royal Court too." He then walked off, leaving me gaping like a fish. I froze, and I couldn't breathe.

I felt someone nudge me but I couldn't move. I was in shock. Then I felt another nudge, slightly harder, and I began walking again. I shut my mouth, and I kept my face smooth and composed. I could not believe he was my dad. For heaven's sake, he looked nothing like me! We arrived at the planes and they were ready for us to board.

We stepped on the plane, and I saw Abe—I refused to think of him as _my dad_—sitting next to my mother. Ugh. I pointedly ignored them and sat on the seat next to the window behind where Lissa was sitting next to Christian. I heard someone sit by me and I didn't glance at him, because I knew who it was from his aftershave.

"Hello, Guardian Belikov." I greeted him without glancing at him.

"Rose, please call me Dimitri. You already know that." He replied. I sighed and glanced at him sideways.

"Fine."

We didn't talk much. Then Dimitri said abruptly, "You know, the Court is supposed to be magnificent. I'd heard of it, but I hadn't actually been there before. Have you?" He asked me casually. I stared at him in surprise. He glanced at me, confused. "What?"

"Nothing. I…um…Yeah, I haven't been there before either." I played with a lock of my hair absentmindedly, my heart racing just at Dimitri's presence.

I think I was falling for Dimitri.

We arrived at the Royal Court a few hours later and I felt the plane land. Then we unbuckled and I grabbed Lissa's suitcases—I actually forgot my suitcase and the rest of my clothes back at the Academy—and we walked off the plane. It was spring, so everything was gorgeous here. I imagined living here for the rest of my life…I smiled to myself.

We walked towards the Court, and we got our own rooms. Lissa's room was next to mine, and, obviously, she shared a room with Christian. Eddie was stubborn, saying that he should protect Mia at all costs. A guardian named Mikhail Tanner smiled at him and told him that it wasn't necessary.

After all, the Royal Court had tons of guardians and tons of wards protecting the Court. I led Lissa to her room and we hugged then I went to my room. The couch was tan and leather, and the bed's coverlet was chocolate brown and the pillows were square, the color a few shades lighter than the coverlet.

There was a LCD Samsung T.V atop a T.V stand against the wall, in front of the bed. I relaxed against the leather couch. Then there was a knock at the door. I got up and walked to the door and opened the door.

"Oh, hey, Dimitri. C'mon in." I told him, and he came in and I shut the door.

"I needed to talk to you, Rose. I hope it's not a bad time." He said.

I smiled. "It's fine, Dimitri. I wasn't really doing anything, I was just relaxing on the couch till you knocked on the door."

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt your relaxation."

"Don't worry about it, Dimitri. You're always welcome here, even if I were writing letters and I was busy, you would still be welcome. It really is no big deal. So don't worry about it." I gestured for him to sit down on the couch. He did and I sat beside him, drawing my knees up to me.

"Rose…I have to let you know that you're an amazing woman, and that I, well, I don't know how to put this. I love you, Rose. I know I've only known you, what? Three months? Four? But, I know, that you're just amazing. And that I love you."

**Author's Note**

**I hope you liked this chapter!(: Thanks for reading my story so far! If you want to, review! Thanks!**


	5. alive

**Author's Note**

**Thank you sooo much for the reviews! You guys are awesome(: Here's the next chapter!**

**~*TeamVampireAcademy15*~**

I stared at Dimitri suspiciously, sure this was a trick. He gazed back serenely. I reached out, stroking his cheek and my hand brushed along his shoulder and down his arm. I felt him shudder slightly at my touch.

I shifted into a sitting position. I leaned against Dimitri's side, perfectly content. I couldn't believe I was falling in love with a twenty-four year old man. And I was supposed to be protecting Lissa. I sighed and pulled away, wishing I could have had my first kiss then and there.

Dimitri glanced at the clock and he stood up, pulling me with him. He leaned down and, taking me by surprise, kissed me on the lips. The love and passion in the kiss grew ever so slightly, and he pulled away before we went too far.

A smile played on his lips. Then it faded into seriousness. "I'll see you later." He then walked out of the room and the door shut behind him. I felt slightly dizzy but otherwise, I was okay. More than okay, actually.

I felt exalted.

* * *

><p>I bumped into Adrian Ivashkov again on my way to meet Lissa. My heart was still pounding from the kiss I'd shared with Dimitri. Adrian grinned at me. "Why is it that we bump into each other in unexpected places?" He said curiously.<p>

"I don't know. Maybe it's because you keep following me."

"No. I don't think so. I think it's because _you_ keep following _me_." He arched an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes and walked past him.

"Hey wait! Are you going to see Vasilisa?" He shouted when I was distant from him.

"What's it to you?" I shouted back, without glancing over my shoulder.

"I'll talk to you later, little dhampir!" He shouted. I hid a smile. I didn't know why, but I thought Adrian was funny. Then I heard footsteps to my left. I glanced that way, but there wasn't anyone there. I frowned, and I had the weirdest—and freakiest—feeling that someone was following me.

I tried to shake off the feeling, but I couldn't get rid of it entirely. I began walking again to Lissa's room. When I arrived at her door, I felt through the bond that she was getting hot and heavy with Christian…geez.

I sighed quietly and walked back outside, where the moonlight glinted off the marble buildings. I blinked in the sudden light, and I could have sworn I saw a silhouette of a man—or somebody—standing in front of my room's building. I blinked again and the man—or somebody—was gone. I frowned.

I walked into my room—which was in the guardians' room building—and I laid on my stomach on my bed, a little tired from walking so much. I should have realized that Lissa was 'busy' with Christian through the bond before I started walking. I guessed I was subconsciously blocking her out, but I couldn't block her feelings out, I just probably blocked out what she was doing.

I heard a knock at my door and I was too lazy to get up and open the door. "Come in." I said, raising my voice a little, so they'd hear me. He came in and it was Dimitri. He took in my position—my arms were behind my head, I was lying on my back now, and my ankles were crossed—and he arched an eyebrow. I wished I could do that.

I grinned and I drew my legs up and I wrapped my arms around my knees.

"So, what are you doing here?" I asked casually, just wanting to make conversation. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and I scooted closer to the edge of the bed, and leaned against his side. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.  
>"I can't visit you?" He asked skeptically and teasingly.<p>

I smiled. "No, you can. It's just that I figured you'd always have a reason before you visit me. Since, well, obviously you should be wary, considering my temper and attitude." I shrugged.

"Well, I suppose I do have reason enough to be wary around you. But that doesn't mean I don't love you, just because of your attitude and temper." He leaned down and put his lips just below my ear, "You don't just have a bad temper and attitude. You have a wonderful personality, a beautiful body, and you know things some older guardians don't. You're smart, willing to protect those you love or care about, and you're dedicated."

I smiled again. "Well…I _guess_ that's true. Maybe I'm not as beautiful as you think. Maybe I'm just all attitude and temper." I teased.

He suddenly pushed me down on the bed and his body pressed lightly against mine. "Roza, you know you're beautiful. And I know you're teasing. I know everything about you. I understand you…" He kissed me then and I kissed back, and my arms locked around his neck. Our lips moved together, perfectly. My senses came alive, and every other thought I'd been thinking disappeared as I melted against his chest.

He found my soul. It was like he could see through my soul, whenever he looked at me, and he brought it out of me, making me alive. It was like I'd never been truly alive before. Everything felt right, whole, when I was with Dimitri. Lissa was my best friend, but Dimitri…he was my soulmate.

Dimitri pulled away slightly. He gazed into my eyes. I felt as though he could see through my soul. He got off me so he could lay on his side next to me. He ran his hand over my hair, brushing it out of the way. I think he loved my hair, but I wasn't entirely sure.

"What, you like my hair or something? Or are you just pretending to brush it back just so you could touch it?" I commented in a question. He chuckled, amused. Man, I loved his laugh. His laugh was warm and gentle and sweet…combined.

"Actually, no, I don't like your hair. And I'm not pretending anything."

"Oh." I tried to hide my disappointment. But he saw through me, like always.

"I love it." He murmured. I rolled my eyes, not believing him at first.

"I really do, Roza. If you want me to describe why I love your hair, then I'll describe it. Your hair feels like silk, and it's gorgeous, especially when it's black, but your hair is just trivial. I love you, Roza. I don't just love your body—I'm not an idiot—I love you. Just you."

"I love you too. We're meant to be together." I said simply. I knew it was true. I knew it with my heart.

He laughed. "You can sum up in one sentence what it takes me a whole speech to get out."

"Because it's true, Dimitri. I can't—I won't—be without you. I know it's, like, scandalous for us to be together. But guardian schedules can be flexible and since we're living at Court, we get to be with each other more often. But…that's only…if you, well, want to…I don't want to be, like, all pathetic, saying that, 'you-better-be-with-be-or-else' kind of thing." I kept babbling on, something I rarely do when I'm nervous. Dimitri cut me off. "Roza, I _do_ want to be with you. You know I love you."

I sighed in contentment and laid my head on his shoulder. I then stood up. Dimitri stood up too. "I suppose I should be going. I'll see you later, Roza." He put one finger under my chin and tilted my head up and he leaned down to kiss my lips. Then he pulled away, and he kissed my forehead before he left.

My heart was beating like a drum, and I didn't even know it was possible to feel this happy.

Well, apparently it was, because I was feeling it.

**Author's Note**

**Thank you so much for reading! Review if you want! Thanks! Also, the next chapter for this story might or might not be up today. So, be aware that I might not update the 6****th**** chapter for a while. Kay, thanks!**

**~*TeamVampireAcademy15*~**


	6. complicated

**Author****'****s Note**

**Hey guys! I****'****m glad you liked the last chapter (: Thanks for reviewing! So here****'****s the next chapter! Review if you want! Thank you! (: **

***TeamVampireAcademy15***

I was taking note of the Court when it happened. I was walking around, taking note of the buildings, seeing if they needed to be repaired. Then I had that really freaky feeling that someone was following me. I half ran back to my room, and I almost made it there and then I felt a hand on my waist, and I jumped slightly. I spun around, wanting to see who it was, but whoever it was, was gone.

I then walked into the building where my room was and when I arrived at my room, which was on the second floor, and unlocked it, and walked inside and turned on the lights, I saw a man—not Dimitri—sitting on my bed, cross-legged.

I froze for one second, then I reached for the phone on the wall. He stood up, and strode over to me. He was, like, two feet taller than me. He pinned my wrists next to my side. There was something that was compelling about him…

"Your name is Rose Hathaway. I've heard about you, so I'm curious about you." He said casually, but I could tell there was a hint of something in his voice. I couldn't tell what exactly it was. Hunger, maybe.

Then I figured it out. "So you're the one that was following me?" I said in a low, dangerous voice.

He glanced down, almost like he was looking at the floor, but his eyes glanced up and down, and he was checking me out, apparently.

He grabbed the rim of my shirt and pulled me towards him. Since he was two feet taller than me, I barely went up to a little above his forearm. Geez.

"What's your name?" I asked, curious but a little annoyed too. He was so mysterious…but I knew he was a dhampir, because of the way he was built.

"When the sun sets, the moon rises." He replied mysteriously.

I stared at him, feeling very confused. "What the heck does _that_ mean?" I demanded, glaring now. He smiled.

"Something you'll soon understand, Rose. Or should I call you, desert princess instead?" He said with an edge of something in his voice that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"No, you can call me Rose." I said through clenched teeth. "Just tell me your name already. And will you answer logically, or are you going to give me another confusing, idiotic statement?"

He laughed and the sound was warm and amused. "My name's Michael. Michael Christensen." He said, still amused.

"Okay." I swallowed back a laugh. I took a step backward, trying to get away from the compelling pull that seemed to surround him.

"So are you the one that was following me?" I demanded, not letting him escape the question this time.

He grinned crookedly. "You really want to know?"

I sighed exasperatedly. "Yes! I really want to know."

He grinned crookedly again. "Yes, I was the one that was following you."

"Why?" I asked, confused.

He smiled. "Well, because I want you, Rose. You could do so many amazing things."

I stared at him. "And exactly _how_ old are you?" I demanded.

He grinned again. "29."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "You know that's, like, 11 years age difference, 'cause I'm 18. Besides, I'm already dating someone." Not _exactly_ a lie, because I wasn't sure if I was dating Dimitri or not.

Michael's smile faded. His green eyes—they reminded me of emeralds—held my gaze. "No. You're mine." He then grabbed my arm and pulled me to the bed. Geez, he had a strong grip.

"No! Stop it!" I yelled, trying to struggle, but he held me too tightly. "It'll hurt if you struggle." He said calmly.

I screamed, but he pressed his lips to mine almost as soon as I started screaming. He pushed me down against the bed, I was still trying to struggle, and he kept kissing me passionately, and he was kissing me in a way that ought to be illegal.

My clothes eventually disappeared, and he dropped them on the floor. His lips were on my neck now, and I tried kicking him, but I eventually gave up, for two reasons: One, I was tired from struggling so much, and two, I knew I couldn't get pregnant from him, because he was a dhampir.

The only thing I was afraid of was Dimitri's reaction if he found out I 'cheated' on him, which I didn't because I was forced into this situation.

He eventually stopped—after we made love, unfortunately—and I got up off the bed and I grabbed a new pair of jeans and t-shirt. I slipped them on, and I pointed at the door, waiting for him to go out. I glared at him. He just smiled and he walked out of the room and he shut the door behind him.

I sat down on my bed, stunned for a moment, then I went to the phone on the wall and dialed in a number.

"Hello?" Her soft voice answered.

"Lissa? Hey, this is Rose. Listen, this man named Michael Christensen made love with me against my will. Before you ask, he's a dhampir. I'm scared, Liss. I'm scared that Dimitri will react like I'd cheated on him." I said quietly, controlling my urge to yell.

I felt her skepticism through the bond. "Rose, um, maybe you were dreaming all this…" My eyebrows shot up. I felt disbelief color my tone as I spoke again after a moment of silence. "What? I wasn't dreaming Lissa."

"Well, it's possible that, with you being shadow-kissed…No, that wouldn't work. Well…how old is this so-called Michael Christensen?"

"29."  
>"Oh. Well, it's definitely possible you had a very realistic dream that you had sex against your will."<p>

"You don't believe me?" I demanded. "Fine, I guess I'll talk to you later then." I hung up the phone. Ugh. I couldn't believe she didn't believe me. I felt Lissa's worry through the bond. I sighed and dialed in a new number.

He picked up the phone, thankfully. "Hello?" His calm, Russian voice answered.

I froze for a minute, half-worrying about his reaction, and half-listening to his voice.

"Hello?" He said again, his voice slightly annoyed. He usually kept strong emotions—when he was serious—out of his voice.

"Hey, Dimitri. Sorry for the wait. I was…checking my watch."

I could practically sense him arching an eyebrow.

"Ah. Do you even own a watch?" He asked, obviously amused.

"Nope. Oh wait…Yeah I do." I heard silence on the other end of the phone.

"I just blew it, didn't I?" I asked.

"Yeah. You did." He was obviously trying not laugh.

"Okay whatever. Don't laugh." He did anyway. I rolled my eyes, though he couldn't even see that I did.

"Please get to the point, Roza. I have things to do."

"Why do you think I always have some reason whenever I call you?" I asked, stalling.

"Everyone always has a reason. So what is it? And don't stall." He warned, amused again. That amusement is going to fade when I tell him, I thought grimly. I sighed and then spoke.

"Dimitri…this man named Michael Christensen, well, he's been stalking me." I paused. I heard his intake of breath on the other end of the phone.

"What?" He said calmly but underneath his calm tone, I could tell he was angry.

"Yeah. He also…made love with me against my will."

"Roza, no one does that anymore. Not if he's a dhampir." He said soothingly.

"Ergh!" I exclaimed.

"What?" He asked, clearly startled.

"You don't believe me? Hmm? You don't?" I demanded.

"Well, Roza…it's not a matter of believing you so much as it's a matter that you probably dreamed it. I don't want to offend you, Roza, but you have to look at all the facets of the facts here."

"Well too late, Dimitri," I said, my voice breaking. "You have offended me by not believing me when I say the truth. I only lie either when it's for a good reason, or because I'm stalling or not sure how to tell someone the truth. I told you the truth. 'Bye." Not waiting for his reply, I hung up my phone.

Could my life _get_ any more complicated?

Then an idea came to my mind.

I decided to go see Adrian.

**Author's Note**

**Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it(: If you want, review, and tell me if I ought to improve on the storyline and/or add more drama/romance to it. :)**

**!~*TeamVampireAcademy15*~!**


	7. You and me

**Author's Note**

**Hey, here's the chapter! :)**

When I arrived at his town house, I knocked on his door. The door opened. He looked surprised to see me but he smiled anyway.

"What are you doing here, Rose? Not that I mind that you're here." He smiled but that smile faded as he saw my face. He ushered me inside.

"Adrian…I need your help." I said.

He had that rare astonished look on his face.

"You need _my_ help? Since when?" He asked, slightly skeptical.

I then recapped the events that had happened to me. He actually gaped.

"_Seriously?_" He asked, obviously surprised. I nodded.

"Do you believe me Adrian? When I tell the truth?" I looked at him pleadingly.

The hesitation was very, very brief. "Yeah, I do. How come Belikov didn't believe you?"

"I have no idea." I said, sighing.

He pursed his lips. "Hmm….I don't know what to say to that. What do you need my help with?" He asked.

"Do you know the guy—or man—I told you about?"

"Yeah, I do. He's, like, known for…um…stalking girls. Not girls that are younger than 18, he's not a major jerk like that. But from what I've heard about him, he's never made love with any other girl that he's stalked.

"And he's never forced any other girls into sex. I think that's accurate, because I heard it from my mom, and she never lies, she does gossip every once in a while, but lie? She does not."

"Oh. Really?" I asked. He nodded. "Oh man. I'm so glad he's a dhampir, otherwise, I'd probably get pregnant from him. Thank heaven."

We were sitting on the couch by this point, our legs practically touching. "Well, then. We have a very interesting situation lying before us." I said calmly, despite my weird feelings.

"Yeah, definitely," He agreed. "I think I know how to help you. It's a little thing called compulsion. After all, I _am_ a spirit user." He raised an eyebrow.

I thought about it then shook my head. "No, that wouldn't work."

"How would it not work?" He exclaimed.

"Think about it Adrian. He's _29 years old_. And I highly doubt that your compulsion would work on a strong dhampir. He's not brainless. Also, I don't know how we're going to get information…" My eyebrows shot up as I realized what we were going to do. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he had the same realization I did.

"Information! That's it!" We shouted in unison. We laughed.

"Okay," I said after I was serious again. Adrian was still chuckling and trying to sober up. I glared at him and he sobered up immediately. "I'll talk to him—"

"No, _I'll_talk to him. It's too dangerous for you to be around him." He interrupted.

"No, I'm talking—"

"I don't think so. It'd be dangerous, considering he's a stalker."

"Adrian, will you even let me finish a sent—"

"No." He said, amused.

I growled but let it go. "I have to be the one that has to talk to him, Adrian. I don't care what's going to happen when I do. _I'm_ the one that's going to do it." I said in a final tone.

He sighed melodramatically. "Fine, but I'll watch from a distance away, in the shadows. If you don't let me do that, I won't let you talk to him."

"What are you, my big brother now?" I commented.

"No. I'm just protective, Rose."

I sighed. "Fine. Whatever."

I left just then and walked across the Court to get to my room.

I had the feeling again. I stopped walking. I heard footsteps behind me stop walking too. I turned around slowly and I saw him.

Michael was standing there, with an unreadable expression on his face. He grinned and his amused expression replaced the unreadable one.

"Hello, Rose. We meet again." He said in a polite tone. He edged closer.

"Yes. We meet again, Michael." I replied calmly.

He grinned. He was right in front of me now, and I glanced up at him.

I felt even smaller than five foot seven.

He grabbed my hand and led me out of the middle of Court. I guessed he didn't want people to stare. I glanced up at the sky and the sun was setting.

The feel of his warm hand on mine felt as though sparks were shooting up my skin. What the heck?

We were headed towards the far end of Court. He led me into a brick building at the far end of Court. We entered the building and we were in a living room/kitchen.

He led me to the couch. He let go of my hand and the sparks immediately stopped, causing me to sway. He caught me before I fell.

"You all right?" He asked, and I could see concern on his face.

"All right? _All right?_ How could I be, when you forced me into sex? You are…you are…you are…" I started crying.

I hated feeling weak. "Well, I apologize about that...but, well…it happens. Besides, you're definitely something to look at. I like you, Rose. A lot. And I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

I stared at him with wide eyes. "You were stalking me, Michael! You've stalked other eighteen year old girls!" He winced. "Right?" I asked in a hesitant voice.

"No, actually, those are just stories. I admit, I _have_ followed you and watched you from a distance…But that's only because I love you, Rose. You're amazing, beautiful, wonderful, and you have an attitude that I like. And we belong together. Forget the rules. You and me, Rose. That's all that really matters to me."

I sighed and sat down on the couch. "Michael, I love someone else. I don't love you that way. 'Sides, even if I did, we'd be breaking the law just by being this close to each other. _11 years age difference_, Michael. That is huge in the eyes of other royals and, especially, the queen. I can't just _forget the rules, _Michael." I replied in a serious tone.

He sighed too. I stood up and walked to the door, right before I left, Michael said, "Didn't you feel the sparks when I touched your hand? I felt it. That'd mean we're soul mates, Rose. Soul mates."

I froze for a moment, replaying his words. _Soul mates. _No. That was impossible. My soul mate was Dimitri. Not some guy I barely knew! I left the room then and as I walked back to my room, I started thinking.

If Michael really was my soul mate, then what was Dimitri? My teacher? Mentor? It was impossible to have more than one soul mate. That'd be crazy! Well, seeing as how life seemed to throw me crazy situations that were either stressful or complicated, what was one more crazy complication? No. I didn't need any more stress.

I had enough to deal with already.

**Author's Note**

**Review if you want and tell me what you think! (: Thanks! Sorry I didn't make this longer. But I hope you liked this chapter! **

***TeamVampireAcademy95***


	8. this moment

**Author's Note**

**Thank you soo much for reviewing! :) I hope you like this chapter and I apologize for changing the title and summary a lot; I just wanted it to be more accurate to the story. Okay, here's the next chapter! ;)**

Okay, my life could _not_ get any weirder. Lissa and Christian…well, they were going to be proud parents. They'd apparently decided _not_ to use a condom, so Lissa was pregnant. And Lissa wanted me to be the baby's aunt, though I wasn't really related to Lissa. Apparently, my life was getting weirder and weirder.

I swear, I wanted to beat Michael up. He stole my virginity, stalked me,—still did—still watched me from a distance, and claimed we were 'soul mates'. Geez. No one could blame me for wanting to beat him up.

Dimitri didn't blame me of course, and he finally believed me and, amazingly, he didn't get mad at me. He worried about me, and he occasionally asked me if I was okay. I told him I was fine and, though he didn't push me on it, I could tell he didn't believe me.

I was lying on my bed, annoyed. Michael was—unfortunately—in the room too. He was lounging on the couch, staring at me intently. "Ugh!" I exclaimed abruptly. I had the satisfaction of seeing him flinch and fall on his face on the floor. I couldn't help laughing.

He stood up in one smooth motion and glared. Somehow, that made me laugh harder. He walked up to me and grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me toward him. I stopped laughing immediately and narrowed my eyes. This was typical of him. He'd done this in the last few days he'd come over to my room unannounced.

Again, I had that feeling of being smaller than my usual height compared to his height. The phone rang suddenly and I had the weirdest feeling that it was Dimitri calling. I tried to pull away from Michael's grip, but he didn't let me go.

"Michael, please let me go." I said as politely as I could through clenched teeth.

He pretended to think about it. "Nah, I don't think so. Just let it ring. It's all about you, Rose, and us being together."

"You can't force love, Michael!" I said. I wasn't shouting, but my voice wasn't quiet either. He seemed to realize the truth of my words and he pulled away, and he ran a hand through his black hair. Unless I was mistaken, there was legitimate hurt on his face.

For some insane, really stupid, really idiotic reason, my heart twisted at his expression. I sighed and said, "Look, I need you to know—" He didn't let me finish. He backed away, that same hurt expression on his face, and nearly ran out the door.

He was gone.

"…that you're amazing, Michael." I finished in a small voice, to myself. I sighed and sat down on the couch, putting my head in my hands. I heard someone come in and I recognized his clean, intoxicating, slightly overwhelming scent.

I felt his arms wrap around me, and I leaned against him, dropping my hands from my head.

"Hey, Dimitri." I greeted him glumly.

"Roza, what's wrong?" He asked, obvious concern in his voice.

"Oh…you don't need to worry about me. It's really nothing." I lied smoothly. I glanced up at his face through a tangle of my hair and he had a stern look on his face. I sighed and said, "Fine. Michael just…well, he really does love me and yet, he's 29 years old. He's older than you and yet…" I didn't finish and Dimitri didn't push me on it. He just held me closer and I curled next to me.

"What am I going to do Dimitri?" I whispered.

"Honestly, Rose? Just follow your heart, that's really all I can say."

"I'll try, but I think my heart can run really fast. So I'll try to follow it." I teased. He laughed.

We just sat there, not saying anything else. Without Dimitri, my life would be in pieces. Without Michael….I honestly had no answer. Literally no answer or thought that comes to mind whenever I think, _Without Michael…_ I really didn't know the answer to that statement.

I stood up and Dimitri stood up too. I stood on my toes, and leaned up to press my lips to his. He wrapped my arms around my waist and suddenly lifted me and spun me around before he kissed my lips. The kiss felt warm and sweet to me, and it was so filled with his love that my heart swelled longingly.

We pulled away slightly, but he didn't let go of me.

"You know, Dimitri, you literally make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream. Have you heard of the song, _Teenage Dream _by **Katy Perry**?" I asked.

"I've heard bits and pieces from other people, but I haven't actually heard the full song." He then kissed me, his arms gently squeezing me, and without realizing it, we ended up on the bed. He was on top of me and I was, of course, underneath him. He kissed my neck and his hand stroked my hip.

He trailed kisses down my jaw and neck and across my collarbone. He brought his lips back to mine and we kissed for a long time, our lips moving in synchronization, almost perfectly.

The kiss grew hard and passionate, and yet, his love that filled the kiss, never faded and I loved this moment.

We finally pulled away, our backs against the bed, and our eyes met and I was lost in his brown eyes. His eyes seemed to soften as he looked at me. Then, abruptly, Dimitri stood up off the bed, apparently getting ready to leave, then the door opened. I stood up too.

Michael came in and strode up to me. "Rose, you belong with _me! _You know you belong with me! I'm not saying that I'm forcing you, but I need you!" He said desperately. I was about to reply, until Dimitri put himself in front of me. Since Michael was like 7 feet tall, and Dimitri was 6'7, Michael didn't exactly tower over Dimitri; he was only a few inches taller than Dimitri. So they were about the same height.

"Oh? And after everything you've put Rose through, you believe you can convince her that you really love her?"

Dimitri's back was to me, so I couldn't see his expression, but I'd bet that Dimitri was arching his eyebrow. But I could see Michael's expression. It was surprised and rueful. He glanced over at me.  
>"Look, Rose, I…can we talk alone, Guardian Belikov?" He asked Dimitri. Dimitri turned around and looked at me with a concerned expression.<p>

I smiled at Dimitri reassuringly; I knew how to handle Michael. Dimitri sighed and then he smiled back, just a little. He then left the room and shut the door behind him.

Michael stared at me ruefully.

I crossed my arms across my chest. I waited.

"Look, Rose. I…I guess I shouldn't have tried to convince you that I love you after everything I'd put you through. I'm so, so sorry, and I hope you can forgive me." He said sincerely. I studied his expression and the look in his eyes, which was complete and total regret and sadness.

I walked up to him and glanced up at his face—I had to crane my neck to see his face better—and looked into his eyes. "Michael, I believe you. And it's okay, you're forgiven." His eyes sparkled, the regret and sadness fading from his eyes. It was replaced by shining joy.

"Thank you Rose. I suppose I ought to be going since you don't want me to be around. I'll be late for the bus down in Missoula if I don't leave immediately." He shrugged and strode to the door.

My heart clenched as he started to open the door. "Wait! Don't go!" I blurted out unthinkingly.

He glanced back at me, curious and confused.

"Why can't I leave? Do you not want me to leave or something?" He asked. I strode over to him and glanced up at him.

"Michael…I…um…Your green eyes are gorgeous. Just wanted to point that out." I said, trying to stall him from leaving. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ I told myself. _Why the __**heck **__am I stalling when I don't even love him that way? I love Dimitri, for crying out loud!_ I kept thinking.

Michael chuckled. "Thank you. Well, I'll…leave you alone then," He said, his smile gone. I then did the stupidest thing I have ever done in my entire life. I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to me. I reached my hands up and brought his head down so I could kiss him.

He froze for a moment then he kissed back. He wrapped his arms around my waist. I felt safety in his presence. I was so lost in Michael's lips—and his presence—that I barely heard the door open. I heard the door close gently. I pulled away, and Michael's expression was still shocked, but I could see joy in his eyes. I didn't linger on that for long; I opened the door and walked out.

I walked down the hall and I heard Michael follow me. I stepped outside into the moonlight—daytime for Moroi, night for the rest of the human world—and I saw Dimitri leaning against one of the brick buildings, staring up at the moon. I couldn't see his expression from here, so I walked closer to him and if he noticed me, he didn't acknowledge it.

His expression was calm but I could see the pain in his eyes. I touched his arm and Dimitri gave me a sideways glance. "Do you need something, Rose?" He asked softly.

"No. I don't need _something_. I need you, Dimitri. What's wrong?" I asked, concern plain in my tone. My forehead crumpled in concern. Dimitri looked around then gestured me into the building he was leaning on. We walked in and we were in a hallway with doors leading into rooms. He led me into one of the rooms and before Dimitri noticed, I gestured Michael in.

Dimitri shut the door. There was a long silence. Then he spoke. "Rose, we could have had a chance together. I don't want us to be apart, but the thing is, I don't want you to be…well, not yourself. I love you Rose, and I need you to understand that before we do anything else. I don't want to yell—I'm not that kind of man—but I need to make things clear: We can't be together if you love Michael."

Tears were already in my eyes since he started speaking. Michael was looking back and forth between us. I couldn't believe Dimitri. I bit my lip so I didn't say any retorts or comments. The truth was, was that Dimitri was right, completely right. Even when he said, _'if you love Michael'. _

I stood there with tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. I couldn't believe I had to make the biggest—and there was a very real possibility I could be in danger—choice of my entire life. This was worse than whenever I had to choose between Lissa and Dimitri. Yeah. This was a hundred times worse.

Tears were definitely spilling down my cheeks and I hastily wiped them away. I swiftly glanced at Michael; he looked concerned. Then I glanced at Dimitri; who also looked concerned, but much more so.

I mentally kicked myself. If I lived a second longer, life would probably throw me another stressful situation! Geez. I wished I had more options, because if I had, I would have taken them gladly.

I didn't reply to what Dimitri had said. I brushed past Dimitri and opened the door and ran out, tears flying behind me.

**Author's Note**

**I hope you liked this chapter :P And if you want to, review! Thanks! (: Okay, so this story is starting to heat up as the story continues. ^-^ Also, if you have any harsh reviews about this chapter, please keep them to yourself. Thank you. :)**

**(((**TeamVampireAcademy15**)))**


	9. choices

_**Author's Note**_

_**Hey, here's the next chapter(: I hope you like it! **_

_**((((**TeamVampireAcademy15**))))**_

_**~Rose's P.O.V~**_

I didn't want to make the choice, so I ran out of the room where Dimitri and Michael were. I had to admit, I loved Michael, but I loved Dimitri…Ugh, I hated this.

I slowed down to a walk when the realization of not knowing where I was going came to me. I felt love for Dimitri…

…but I also felt love for Michael. Geez, could my life be any more complicated? No. Well, I had to admit, I couldn't be without Dimitri. And whenever I'm near Michael, he always brings safety and peace and warmth just like Dimitri.

I groaned and an idea came to my mind.

I decided to go to Adrian's, just to notify him. So he wouldn't be clueless.

I jogged over to Adrian's house and when I arrived, I knocked on the door and Adrian answered. He looked like he expected me to come and he ushered me in.

I stood there in the doorway and he looked confused. He shrugged it off and sat down on the couch.

"So what are you doing here? Let me guess, you've come to share the information regarding Michael, right?" He asked. I shook my head and I got straight to the point.

"I'm in love with Michael and Dimitri, Adrian. Just thought I'd let you know. And, also, if you know what I should do, call me at my room. If I'm not there, then leave a message. I'll be leaving now. Bye, Adrian." I then left, leaving him stunned.

I walked down the hall and outside. The moonlight glinted off one of the marble buildings and reflected. I blinked in the sudden light and kept walking, my steps casual and serious. I kept my face composed, despite my burning feelings. I wasn't headed anywhere particular, just wanted to go for a walk.

I wished I could undo everything that has happened in my life. Well, everything that had been stressful. I decided to go to the spa Lissa and I had once gone. I sensed through the bond that Lissa was at the spa.

I arrived there and I signed up for a full body massage. The lady at the desk looked slightly surprised to see me, but she still let me come in. I walked in and there were signs pointing to other rooms, like where you could get your nails done and where you could get mud baths, and other cool places.

I went straight to the massage room. In the room, there were what looked like long comfortable-looking tables where you lie on your stomach on one of them and I was surprised—but not dismayed, though I should have been—to see Michael standing there, waiting for his turn probably. He glanced up at my approach and he grinned crookedly when he saw me.

He was leaning on the wall and he walked over to me when he saw me come in.

I gave him a confused look. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

He flashed me a dazzling smile. "I'm a massage therapist. Did you sign up for this?" He gestured around him. I nodded.

"Yeah…but I didn't expect to see you here."

He shrugged. "Well, come on then. I'm your assigned massage therapist." I froze for a few seconds longer than necessary. Then _I _shrugged and headed over to the side room.. I undressed—completely—and wrapped a towel around me. I walked out. I went to one of the long tables.

I laid on my stomach on the table and the table _was _comfortable as it appeared to be. I heard Michael crack his knuckles and I felt his warm hands on my exposed back. He began massaging my back and while he touched me, electricity seemed to crackle up my spine. It didn't hurt. It actually felt good.

I felt his hands rub a sore spot on my back and man, did it feel _good. _I felt relaxed as he massaged my back. I closed my eyes and smiled as he was massaging my back…

A while later, I opened my eyes and knew it was time to go. I got up and my towel nearly fell off me. _Good thing I caught it in time,_ I thought. I walked to the side room and shut the door behind me. I slipped the towel off and put on my jeans and cotton tank top.

I walked out of the room and Michael fell into step beside me. I glanced at him, surprised. "Are you walking me to my room or something?"

He smiled but didn't reply. My heart fluttered as he walked beside me. We headed out of the massage room. I was walking ahead when I realized he'd stopped walking. I turned around.

"You coming? Or do you still have to work?" I asked. He shook his head, amused.

"No. I wanted you to meet someone. Follow me." He then pivoted and walked back towards the direction where we'd come from.

We passed the massage room and headed towards a door at the end of the hall. We entered it and all there was inside the room was a desk with a lady sitting at it, reading a book.

There was one singular door behind the lady and Michael went straight up to the desk.

"Hey Suzanne, do you think you can let Rose Hathaway—she's the one behind me—in for a reading?" Suzanne thought about it and said, "Okay. Hello, Rose." She smiled.

"Hi." I said. I was majorly confused. Then Suzanne said to me, "Rhonda will be ready for you in a minute. She's finishing up with someone." I nodded.

Then Lissa came out, looking slightly dazed. I stared at her, surprised, and she stared back, equally surprised, both in the bond and on her face.

Lissa came up to me immediately.

"Rose, Rhonda is amazing! She's practically a fortune teller! I'm pretty sure she is. You should check her out."

"I already am, Liss. Michael signed me in."

Her expression was so shocked, I almost laughed. I probably would have if not for the guilt that nearly consumed her.

"So…so he...wasn't someone you dreamed... I'm so sorry, Rose, for not believing you." Her feelings were sincere and guilty and sorry.

I smiled reassuringly.

"It's okay, Liss. Now that I think about it, it's not that big of a deal. I guess I shouldn't have reacted to you that way on the phone. So no worries, you're forgiven." I ignored Michael for a moment.

"C'mon, Rose. Rhonda is waiting." Michael said. I followed him into the room. It was like walking into a heart. Everything was red. Red cushions, red couches, red wallpaper and moldings, and it was blood red wallpaper and moldings and a slightly lighter shade of red for the couches. Rhonda—I assumed—was sitting on a red cushion in the middle of the floor. She had black, wavy hair and it went down to barely below her shoulders.

She was shuffling what looked like cards in her hands and she looked up at our approach. She smiled politely.

"Rosemarie, I've heard so much about you. You've earned a stellar reputation. Sit down, please."

I smiled back and sat down across from Rhonda.

"My name is Rhonda. I presume you would like a reading?" I nodded slowly, glancing at Michael. I saw Lissa come in and sit down beside me. Rhonda barely noticed her. Michael was sitting next to me, his very long legs crossed, and he smiled reassuringly.

Rhonda handed me the deck of cards. "Cut please." She said.

I did and handed her the cards. She dealt out three cards and placed them in front of me, face up. One was the Moon of Light, the next one—the one in the middle—was the Queen of Souls, and the third one was the Knight of Honor.

The Knight of Honor showed two men on horses, and a young lady was between them, each hand on the horse's reins, and Rhonda pointed to the knight of honor.

"You will stop two heroes from fighting one another. And then you will have to choose…and make a life-altering decision. Life is full of choices...and you will face the biggest choice of your life."

I stared at the Knight of Honor card wide eyed. She paused for a moment. The Queen of Souls looked like a lady in a simple black dress standing on a stage in front of many people. The lady was holding a silver dagger to her neck and what looked like tears sliding down her cheeks. She pointed to the aforementioned card.

"You are on the edge of death." She paused a moment. The pause was longer this time.

"That's it? I already knew tha—" Michael nudged me, probably warning me to be quiet. I shut up. Then Rhonda continued from the same card.

"And you will soon face your own."

My heart was beating normally at first…then it lurched as I caught the meaning of her words. I was going to die. That was the only explanation. I kept my face smooth and she paused again.

The Moon of Light showed a moon shining down—brightly—on a girl and two tall men. The girl was lying on the ground, red blood splattered around her. There was a silver sword in her heart. My heart clenched. The two men were standing on either side of the girl, looking down at her, their expressions hard to make out. Rhonda spoke again.

"You will do whatever you can to protect and defend those you care about. Two valiant heroes will save you from the brink of death. They will lose what they love most. You will lose what you need most. You will light up and glow. No one but the two heroes will be able to save you."

I had definitely gotten a load of information. I stood up and smiled at Rhonda. "Thank you for your time." I said politely, working hard to keep my feelings in check. I had a really weird feeling that Rhonda was right about all these things. I turned to Lissa and she was staring, her eyes bulged, at nothing in particular.

I knelt down beside her and said to Lissa, "Liss, it's time to go." She got up, shakily, and hugged me around the waist, burying her face in my chest. I hugged her back and smoothed her hair, murmuring comforting things to her. And I felt through the bond that her emotions were all over the place. Worry for me. Troubled by Rhonda's predictions. Fear for how this was going to turn out.

I pulled back slightly and took her hand and led her out of the room. Michael followed; his face composed and smooth.

I led her out of the spa building and I didn't stop until we were at my room. I unlocked the door and Dimitri was sitting on the couch, apparently waiting for my arrival. I sighed and shut the door behind Lissa. Lissa had tears sliding down her cheeks. Dimitri stood up abruptly and asked,

"What's wrong?" fiercely. I smiled slightly, remembering that was what I liked about him.

I put up a finger to silence him for a moment. Then I turned to Lissa. "Lissa, I'm not going to die young. What Rhonda has said…Well, I don't believe it, not completely. I just want you to know, Liss, I'd die protecting you. If anyone has to die around here, it'd be me. But you know it's not likely Lissa. Don't worry.

"'Sides, you gotta take care of your love child, otherwise Christian would freak." I grinned at her. Her face went pink when I'd mentioned _love child_.

I glanced at Dimitri and I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was completely lost. I sighed, knowing I was going to have to explain. I turned back to Lissa.

"Why don't you go back to Christian? I'm sure he's waiting for you."

She nodded and hugged me quickly and said, "'Bye, Rose!" before she left the room, passing by Michael. Dimitri crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me expectantly. I sighed again.

I then recapped what Rhonda had said. I even gave him every detail. Well, except for one detail. I didn't tell him who my massage therapist was. But I skipped over that part so smoothly, I doubted he'd noticed. As I talked, Dimitri's expression became concerned.

"So, that's what happened." I concluded. "So why'd you come here?" I asked. Dimitri walked up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Roza, I hated saying those things to you back in that room. I needed to make things up to you, so I wanted to talk to you. But you shouldn't believe what Rhonda said. It's not going to happen." I worked to keep my expression neutral.

"I know. I forgive you, Dimitri. It's not a big deal in comparison…to…well, you know…"

He nodded, his expression concerned once more. "Roza, it won't happen. I will make sure it won't happen. I swear to you."

I started to reply then I noticed Michael walk up towards me. "I swear to you too, Rose. I won't let it happen. It ends tonight. Everything that's been hurting you will end tonight. I promise you. After all, I do love you Rose." He said seriously and solemnly.

I noticed Dimitri stiffen but he reluctantly let go of me. "I know, Michael. Okay, well, since you both have a right to know…I love you both." I said seriously. Dimitri immediately kept his face composed. Michael's eyes glowed, though he did frown.

"Okay…give me time to think over my life, guys. I'll talk to you later. But I need one thing clear: Do you both think I'm beautiful?"

There was no hesitation. "Yes." They said at the same time. I laughed and pushed Michael out the door—it was still open—and he grinned at me before jogging away. I turned around and Dimitri walked out immediately, not glancing at me. I shrugged and flopped onto the tan leather couch, back first.

My thoughts were twisting and chaotic ever since Rhonda had told me my fortune. It had said that I would die…

…but come back to life?

I knew it didn't make any sense. I shifted my thoughts.

I remembered kissing Dimitri…

…and then the memory of kissing Michael spoiled my memory of kissing Dimitri. I groaned, annoyed.

I didn't know what to do. _Oh well,_ I thought. _I guess my life is always going to be difficult. _I shed a few tears and I drifted off to sleep, seeing as how the sun was rising beyond the horizon. Right before I fell asleep, I caught a glimpse of my stake on the table.

I fell asleep, dreaming of Dimitri…

…and Michael.

**Author's Note**

**I hope you liked this chapter! (: Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks! Also, Rose wasn't kidding when she'd said she loved both Michael**_** and**_** Dimitri. :) Her feelings proved correct. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in a review or message me in my inbox! Thanks! :)**

**_**((((**TeamVampireAcademy15**))))**_  
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	10. as I lay dying

_**Author's Note**_

_**Thanks for reviewing! :D I hope you'll like this chapter! Also, this chapter might very possibly have some violence…I changed the rating just to be safe. :)**_

_***TeamVampireAcademy15***_

I woke up the next day, feeling relaxed. I got dressed into a red mini skirt—just for the fun of dressing up, I could still fight in it if it came to that—and a black halter top. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. Call me self-centered, but I looked great. I grabbed an elastic off the table and tied my hair into a ponytail.

_Well_, I thought, still smiling. _I'll definitely catch attention. _I grabbed my jacket—it was only slightly chilly outside, but I put on net leggings that went up to my thighs—and walked out the door and down the hall.

I walked outside and people were walking around, doing last minute shopping, or meeting someone or going to work. Or just jogging and doing exercise.

I walked towards Dimitri's apartment—he, luckily, had his own apartment—and I knocked on his door when I arrived there. I waited a few minutes, but there was no answer. I knocked again, a little harder, but there was still no answer. Suddenly, I heard a voice that came from behind me.

"Rose, if you're looking for Dimitri, he's not home." It sounded like Michael's voice and I turned around. He appraised me and he smiled slightly, and the look in his eyes told me he liked the outfit I wore. I was confused.

"Where's Dimitri then?" I asked. He shrugged.

"He's off somewhere, I don't know. Why don't we go to my place?" He asked. I hesitated slightly, but I shrugged it off. I started to go with him, but then I heard a door open behind me. I turned around and saw that Dimitri was standing there in the doorway, and his hair was wet and he was wearing one of those shower robes. I frowned.

"I thought you were off somewhere!" I exclaimed towards Dimitri. His eyebrows pushed together.

"I was taking a shower. I didn't realize you were at the door until I got out of the shower." His voice was confused as I was. I glanced at Michael sharply. He looked surprised. I glanced back and forth between the two of them. My frown intensified.

"What the…? Someone told me you were gone! Like, gone as in you accepted Tasha Ozera's offer and left. " Michael exclaimed.

"What?" I nearly screamed. Dimitri looked astonished and then he ushered us inside. He shut the door. Dimitri crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Michael.

"Where did you hear that?" Dimitri asked. I stared, my eyes bulging, but I didn't speak. Not yet.

Michael replied, "Guardian Tanner told me. I didn't force it out of him or anything, I just asked if you were heading anywhere outside of Court and he told me that you accepted Tasha's offer." He shrugged but I vaguely noticed that.

"Dimitri…is it true? Or…or is it just a…a rumor?" I asked, feeling desperate. I didn't realize tears were sliding down my cheeks until Dimitri wiped them away with his fingers. He cupped my face between my hands.

"It isn't true, Roza. Don't worry, I wouldn't accept Tasha's offer even if my heart didn't belong somewhere else. But my heart does belong somewhere else. You hold my heart, Rose. Tasha doesn't."

I twisted my head to kiss his palm and then I stepped back. I glanced at Michael. He had an unreadable expression. I glanced at Dimitri. He had a concerned expression. I sighed then I grinned at both of them. They looked confused. Then my grin faded as I heard screams in the distance. Judging from the looks on Dimitri's and Michael's expressions, they'd heard it too.

We froze for a heartbeat…then I opened the door and ran out towards where the screams were coming from. I heard two sets of footsteps behind me and I didn't have to glance back to know that Dimitri and Michael were running behind me.

The moon was still out and as I got closer, I felt nausea rise up in me. I saw Strigoi fighting guardians and I realized the nausea I felt was my Strigoi-alarm.

I couldn't believe it. It didn't _look _like there were a lot of Strigoi. But I wasn't sure. I froze, thinking of Lissa. I sensed through the bond the important things: She was alive and she was safe and protected by guardians. I stared at the Strigoi and growled quietly. I ran up towards a Strigoi and I kicked him hard in the back. He staggered a little and he turned to face me. He looked down at my hands—which were clenched—and he suddenly grinned. I risked myself a quick glance at my hands.

Crap! I didn't have my stake! Oh, this was going to be bad. I dodged quickly as he tried to punch me. Battle mode kicked in, and the fight began. I dodged as he kept trying to kick me and punch me. We circled each other, and he started speaking, probably to distract me.

"You're going to die, you pathetic dhampir."

"Not before I kill you!" I growled, slightly breathless.

"You have no weapon. When you're gone, I'll go after the last Dragomir princess. Oh, I'll be awarded. First, I'll drink her blood, then I'll turn her…" I punched his face hard enough that he actually staggered.  
>"You're <em>not<em> touching her! You're not even getting even a hundred feet away from her!" I growled fiercely.

"Dimitri! I gotta borrow your stake! I don't have mine!" He wasn't fighting, but he was trying to get most of the Moroi out of the hands of the Strigoi. He did fight every now and then, but luckily he had a spare. He threw one towards me and I caught it, thanks to my dhampir reflexes.

I turned around and the Strigoi I had been fighting was gone. I growled but then I spotted him. He was fighting Michael—Oh man—but surprisingly, Michael had pretty good moves. Okay, _pretty good_ did not fit. He was fighting the Strigoi I had been fighting really, really, _really _good.

I started to run over to Michael, but I had a dilemma. Dimitri was struggling with helping the Moroi, but Michael needed help. I closed my eyes briefly, my thoughts chaotic, then I decided to help Dimitri first then Michael. I pivoted on my left foot and ran over to Dimitri. He looked battle scarred but otherwise, he was okay.

He looked relieved when he saw me. I led all of the Moroi—children, elderly, adult—out of the battle and somewhere safe where even Strigoi couldn't go. The moon shone down on us brighter than usual, and it shone on me in particular for some reason. We'd taken them to a cellar, the cellar itself hidden somewhere deep in the forest. The doors leading down to the cellar were embedded in the ground somehow. Well not exactly embedded completely, but I couldn't explain it right. There were guardians guarding the cellar, though and plenty of more guardians in the cellar itself. So the Moroi were safe.

Dimitri and I ran back towards the battle and the moon shone down on me, and everything seemed as though it was going in slow motion. Of course, that was my perception. And right when Dimitri and I met up with Michael, a human came up to me—holding a silver stake—and before I could react, the human stabbed me somewhere in my chest. I didn't know exactly where though; all I knew, I was fading, fading slowly and painfully.

I felt—vaguely—myself fall to the ground, and I heard my name being screamed multiple times. I tried to open my eyes and it worked, barely. I could see that Dimitri and Michael were leaning over me, fear and worry and emotion in their eyes. I felt the bond fading away, but I barely sensed Lissa coming out and thinking, _Rose! Don't die!_ And I saw that she knelt beside me, leaning over me and I felt wetness on my face. I reached a shaky hand up towards Lissa, and I grabbed her hand and squeezed it as gently and reassuringly as I could.

As I lay dying, I let go of Lissa's hand and I saw Dimitri actually had tears in his eyes. I glanced—barely—over at Michael, and he was crying. I tried to smile up at them, and surprisingly, my lips didn't tremble.

"I…want you...guys…to…know…I…love…you…all…" It was hard to speak while my voice was shaky and quiet. My mom—Janine Hathaway—came running over, tears actually sliding down her cheeks, and knelt beside me, running her hand over my hair. I saw Abe—my dad, unfortunately—came half-running, half-walking up beside me. He looked very concerned and worried.

My eyes widened as I saw a lot of people I recognized coming over me. Adrian was there, silent tears sliding down his cheeks, and holding a rose. I blinked and tried to scowl over at Adrian.

"You know I don't like rose related things, Adrian." I said, scowling a little deeper. I still had some strength and Rose Hathaway attitude left in me. Adrian laughed a little. No one else did though. I felt my energy fading…

My eyes slowly closed and I felt someone grab my hand and squeeze it. The hand was warm. I felt someone else grab my other hand—my right hand—and squeeze it. I opened my eyes a little and I saw that Dimitri and Michael were standing on either side of me, looking down at me with concerned and worried expressions. Adrian was holding my left hand and Lissa was holding my right. I smiled at her then that's when I saw the light shining down on me. I smiled up at it, welcoming it, and my life faded away…

Then, as I lay dying, my spirit seemed to fly…

_**Author's Note**_

_**Honestly? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't like this chapter :P Review and tell me what you think! ;) And also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! XD**_

_**Thanks for reading so far! :)**_

_***TeamVampireAcademy15***_


	11. I'm alive

**Author's Note**

**Thank you for those who reviewed! (: Okay, so here's the thing: In the last chapter, some of you may have perceived Rose dead. If you read this, you'll see what happens next. Some of it may shock you. I hope you review! And, don't hesitate to ask any questions; Feel free to! **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**

**Dimitri's P.O.V**

Tears were threatening to leak out of my eyes. I stood there looking down at Rose. I felt as though I was frozen. I didn't believe this was real. Rose couldn't be dead. As I stared down at her, watching her eyes go blank and unseeing, I nearly lost my control I'd worked so hard to build up. The doctor came just then and he took out the stake quickly. I couldn't help wincing slightly. I didn't pay much attention to him, I was just focused on my Roza's face.

I knelt down beside her, and I vaguely heard Janine cry but I paid more attention to my Roza. I lifted a hand and brushed the hair out of her face, and I stroked her cheek, which was pale, almost as pale as a Strigoi. But I knew better. She was dead. I had to admit that to myself so I could go on. So I could move on. Then after a moment, the doctor wrote some notes on a clipboard and asked for an adult that was related to Rose. I noticed Abe stand up and walk with the doctor.

I murmured so quietly to Rose that only Michael could hear, "I will always love you, Rose." Even though I knew she couldn't hear, I murmured comforting words in Russian while I stroked her hair and cheeks. I sighed, and then I stood up.

**Michael's P.O.V**

The doctor came to give Rose a blood transfusion—I didn't know it was possible to do it outdoors, but oh well—then he wrote some notes on a clipboard then he asked for an adult that was related to Rose. Abe stood up and walked off with the doctor. Then I noticed Dimitri stroking Rose's hair and cheeks and I knelt down too. Then, after he murmured to Rose so quietly only I could hear, "I will always love you, Rose." Then he murmured what sounded like comforting words in Russian. I couldn't understand any of it. Then he sighed and he stood up.

I pressed a kiss to Rose's forehead and I lifted her into my arms. I carried her to her room. Dimitri went off to do his own thing and when I arrived at Rose's room, I saw that the door was somewhat open. I pushed it all the way open with my foot and I saw Janine and Lissa and a few other guardians—including Alberta Petrov—clearing out Rose's room. I frowned. Well, just her stuff.

"What are you doing?" I asked. I laid Rose down on the bed and I noticed Lissa nearly break down. She took three deep breaths then replied in a broken, hoarse whisper, "We're clearing her stuff out. Knowing…" She winced then continued. "Knowing Rose, she wouldn't have wanted us to sell her possesions. She would have wanted us to donate every possession she owned, except her stake. That…that was precious to her…" She started to cry then she broke down completely. Janine dropped everything she was holding and went to comfort Lissa.

I glanced at Rose and tears threatened to leak out of my eyes. I sighed raggedly then I left soon after. As I walked out the door, I bumped into Abe Mazur. My eyebrows shot up.

"What are you doing here, Abe?"

He sighed and he looked weary.

"I'm here helping plan Rose's funeral. She is my daughter after all. Why wouldn't I help her?" He looked like he hadn't slept much either.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I'll be on my way then." I replied then I walked off. But I noticed Abe didn't move. I turned back to him and he turned around slowly, eyes narrowed. It looked like he was lost in thought. Then his eyebrows shot up.

"Michael…The stake wasn't in directly in her heart; it was just somewhere in her chest. I don't think she's completely dead..." He then ran into the room, leaving me momentarily stunned. I then followed into the room. Abe was explaining what he'd told me. I could see hope light up their faces.

"Oh my goodness…Are you serious, Abe? You can't be. She's dead, there's no way…" Janine said, a hint of agony and hope in her voice.

Abe walked over to her, placing his hands on Janine's shoulders. "Janine, it is possible. Anything's possible. If she is dead, then she is. If she isn't, then we'll wait. We'll wait for her to wake up—if she does—within one week. If she does, well, then we'll go from there. If she doesn't…well, we'll continue with the funeral."

Janine glanced at Lissa and Lissa's eyes widened. They nodded in agreement and so did Alberta.

"Wait, I thought the doctor had made sure she was dead!" I exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at me. Abe shook his head.

"The doctor said that he wasn't sure if Rose was dead. He told me to keep this to myself until the right time. This is the right time. I guess I ought to tell you. Rose might not be dead. She's likely to be alive, or in a coma. She has lost a lot of blood…But the doctor gave her a transfusion and told me that Rose might be in a coma. See, the stake didn't pierce her heart like we'd all thought it did. The idiotic human thought he pierced her heart, but in truth, he didn't. The stake didn't even touch Rose's heart at all. Okay, we don't know that. But I'm pretty sure it didn't."

"Seriously?" Lissa exclaimed. Abe nodded.

"Why would I lie?" Abe asked. Janine rolled her eyes, Lissa looked skeptical and glanced away, Alberta frowned in disapproval, and I just laughed. Abe exclaimed, "You all judge me too harshly!" but I could see that he was amused too.

We all laughed, despite the situation. We started chatting with one another. Then we heard a groan. We all glanced at each other, confused, then I glanced at where Rose laid. I stared, wide-eyed.

Rose opened her eyes. Then she said clearly, "What are you guys talking about? And where's Dimitri?" She asked, looking confused. She saw all of our faces, and she laughed. "What's up with you guys? You looked like you've been electrocuted." She chuckled again. She sat up as easily as if she hadn't have died of as if she hadn't been injured.

I couldn't believe it. But, then again, I could believe it.

Rose was alive.

**Rose's P.O.V xD**

I stared at them like they were all crazy. Abe had an annoyingly knowing expression on his face. Ugh. Then Lissa ran up to me and hugged me carefully, as though I was injured. I didn't feel injured. I hugged her back, grinning over Lissa's shoulder at my mom's expression. I controlled my urge to laugh.

Lissa pulled back, tears in her pale jade eyes. "Rose, we thought you were dead! I missed you so much!"

I frowned in confusion. "I was dead, Liss. Wait, if I were dead, wouldn't I stay dead?" I asked, understandably confused. My mother came up to me and replied slowly, "Yes, you would have stayed dead. Do you feel the bond?"

My frown deepened. I searched for it mentally, but I couldn't find it. It was gone. The bond was gone. Like as in, completely. Not even a trace of it. "It's gone...like completely." I whispered. I glanced up at them and saw Michael, staring at me, obviously dazed. Even Abe looked surprised.

"Ha! I shocked Abe Mazur! Woo hoo!" I shouted, raising my arms in a victory cheer, and making everyone jump except for Abe. He just rolled his eyes and smiled jovially. Everyone laughed. I got up off the bed and hugged Lissa tight.

"You have no idea how much I missed you, Liss. I was like complaining up there. No joke." I said to her. She laughed.

"I missed you too, Rose, especially your comments that make me laugh. You're like my sister."

"I _am_ your sister, Liss. Well, not through blood, but you know what I mean." She laughed and pulled back, grinning at me. The door suddenly opened and I saw Dimitri come in, and his eyes looked sad and depressed at first, then he saw me, and the sadness in his eyes turned to shock. I laughed and hugged my mother and she hugged me fiercely back. Then she pulled away. I went straight to the next person, and I hugged her. Then I realized who it was.

"Guardian Petrov!" I said. She chuckled. "Call me Alberta, Rose. We've missed you. But now we're glad you're back." She smiled at me warmly. I grinned hugely.

I hesitated at Abe. I didn't really know him that well, considering before I, uh, died, he hadn't really been in my life, aside from the time when I first met him. So I just shook his hand. He chuckled. "Welcome back, Rose."

"Er, thanks…I guess." I shrugged and pulled my hand away. I shifted uncomfortably. Abe laughed again.

Dimitri got over his shock and so did Michael, from what I could tell. Dimitri was leaning against the wall next to the door, staring at me with an unreadable expression. Michael was leaning against the wall next to the T.V which was on a T.V stand against the wall.

"Okay, Alberta, Abe and Mom, will you please leave? Everyone else stay. If that's okay, I mean, it's not like me to make demands." I said. Alberta, my mother and Abe left. I didn't miss the glance Abe gave Dimitri. I pressed my lips together to keep from asking what that was about.

"Hey, Liss, why don't you go notify Christian and Adrian that I'm alive?" She nodded and grinned at me. She left, greeting Dimitri as she walked out the door. I sat down on the bed and stretched out my arms then I let them fall in my lap. Dimitri came up to me and I grinned up at him. He sat down beside me and our lips met. Our lips moved together and he wrapped an arm around me and I locked my arms around his neck. I felt someone sit down beside me. Without opening my eyes; I could tell it was Michael.

I pulled away from Dimitri and saw that his eyes were so happy and glorious and so filled with love, that my heart skipped a beat. I glanced at Michael and his expression was filled with love and so happy and relieved that my heart skipped another beat.

I laid down against the bed, holding both of their hands, and I shut my eyes and smiled.

I was glad that I was alive.

**Author's Note**

**I hope you liked it! Tell me what you think about Rose coming back to life, literally. :) Review please (:**

_**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**_


	12. innocent

_**Author's Note**_

_**I hope you liked the previous chapter! And I hope you'll like this chapter. :) **_

_**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**_

**Rose's P.O.V**

I had nothing to do. Literally. I was being held in a jail cell, because Tatiana wanted me 'examined'. Well, I was just guessing that because one night I was in my room, asleep, and the next I was in here.

I really had no idea why I was in here. I had been completely out when they dragged me but I could have sworn, even while asleep, that I heard yells and grunts. Maybe I had been dreaming. Oh well.

They didn't want any visitors for me to see and that just killed me. (Figuratively, of course.)

I knew it had to hurt Dimitri too. I knew he couldn't stand to be away from me, knowing him. And Michael too…

I hated this. I hated being in a stark white jail cell—which it literally was. Plain white, boring and sterile. That was actually worse than if I'd been in a rusty dungeon. I was lying on the white bench, which felt cold to me. Ugh. I wanted to get out of here.

Then the door opened and Abe somehow managed to get in. It didn't surprise me. I stood up abruptly, and pressed my face against the hard metal bars that surrounded me. "Abe, have you come to rescue me from this awful hole of a prison? Please, _please_ tell me that you are!" I said desperately. He shook his head and an uncharacteristic solemn and sad look flashed in his usually shrewd eyes.

"Rose, the queen is dead. She was staked the night before you came here. That's why they dragged you in here." He replied calmly. I stared, not believing it.

"Wait, that's why they dragged me to this heck of a prison?" Wow. I couldn't believe that. He shook his head again and silence fell between us. He expected me to get what he was saying. I stared at him, confused, and he sighed.

"You've been accused of murdering the royal queen, Tatiana, Rose. I thought you were smarter than that." He teased. The world around me blurred.

I couldn't believe _I _was accused of murdering Tatiana! No. No. I refused to believe it. But some little voice inside of me spoke gently and quietly.

_It's not surprising to others, considering your attitude. They don't believe you're innocent. _ Tears of anger filled my eyes. I slammed my fists against the bars. The tears spilled down my cheeks and I hastily wiped them away. But I knew Abe saw. His eyes suddenly grew intense and fierce.

"Rose, I will find a way to get you out of here. Apparently, the execution is planned in a month, since the whole funeral of the queen is tomorrow. Well, maybe not a month." I stared, wide eyed, not expecting that.

"A...an execution? I'm freaking innocent for crying out loud!" I shouted, nearly screaming.

"Rose, calm down. The guards are going to think you're disruptive. Well…" He paused, rethinking his words. I growled sharply. Abe rolled his eyes. "Rose, you growling won't change their minds. But you know I will get you out of this. Even if it means…" He didn't finish.

Honestly, I didn't care what he was about to say. My life was going to be over and yet I just got back from the dead! I couldn't believe this was happening. It felt like a dream. It felt like it was just a dream. Geez, my life was not going to end this way. I'd rather die protecting those I cared about.

I didn't want to die this way.

"You _won't _be executed, Rose. Don't think that. I will get you out of this." He turned to leave, then he handed me a book and some magazines. I frowned then I asked, "What are these for?"

He smiled. "They'll help ease your boredom. I'll get you out of here, Rose. I'll get you out of this." His smile was gone then he left, shutting the door behind me.

I sighed and sat back down on the bench. I laid back, even though it wasn't very comfortable. Then, right when I shut my eyes, I heard the sounds of fighting: Grunts and yells. I stood up immediately, and grabbed ahold of the bars between my fingers. Then a few moments later, the door slammed open. I stared, wide-eyed, and saw that Eddie—a friend of mine—and Mikhail Tanner were coming in the room. I took a few steps backward. Mikhail had keys in his hand and he unlocked the door to the jail cell I was in.

I frowned, unsure of what to do. Eddie grabbed my arm and I resisted. "What's going on?" I demanded.

"C'mon, Rose! We gotta get out of here! Before the guards wake up!" He said in a low voice.

"Why?" I demanded.

"We'll explain later, Rose. For now, let's get out of here." Mikhail said. I finally went with him and they led me out of the room. I saw guards slumped against the wall, unconscious, and Mikhail and Eddie hurried me away to the stairs that led to the hallway, which led to the front doors, which, of course, led to outside.

When we were walking down the upstairs hallway—I saw guards slumped against the walls unconscious up here too—I saw Michael at the end of the hall, gesturing for us to hurry. We finally made it outside into the sunlight and the Court seemed deserted...

…until I saw a Ford Sedan parked near the drive to the gate. Dimitri leaned against it, and when he saw us coming out, his face showed relief. He walked over to us and, very abruptly, lifted me into his arms and somehow managed to open the trunk. I didn't know how that was possible, what with him carrying me, until I noticed Mikhail had opened the trunk. He was holding a key with buttons on it, and he'd pressed it, apparently, to open the trunk.

I frowned deeper. "What the heck? Do you have luggage or something? And why are you carrying me, comrade? I'm confused." I was way confused.

Dimitri was the one who replied. "Rose, we have to put you in the trunk. For now, at least." He then laid me in the trunk. I started to protest and get up, but he put his hand over my mouth and gently pushed me down with his other hand. "Patience, Rose."

I sighed. Then I nodded. He dropped his hand from my mouth. Then, right before he slammed the trunk door, he smiled ruefully. Then he closed the trunk door. I shut my eyes, even though it was already dark.

I smiled a little. My life was definitely twisted, sort of like a pretzel.

I then dozed off into unconsciousness…

* * *

><p><strong>Dimitri's P.O.V<strong>

Lissa and Christian and Eddie were in the back seats and Mikhail stayed behind. I was driving the car and I turned onto a freeway. I was headed somewhere far away from the Court so Rose wouldn't be executed. I thought that was definitely unfair and wrongful. I knew the real culprit was somewhere out there. I did know, however, that I had to take Rose out of here. It wasn't my idea to bust her out of prison though…

…it was Lissa's. It would figure, considering that Rose was Lissa's best friend, and they don't have a bond anymore…thanks to that certain incident.

I tightened my hold on the steering wheel. I still stayed focused, even though my feelings that were burning inside me were chaotic.

I wished I could help Rose so much, but I knew bad situations had to happen before the good things could happen. That's part of life.

I knew I loved Rose, loved her with all of my heart and soul, and I wanted to protect her with my life.

I wanted to protect and defend her.

_**Author's Note**_

_**Hey, I hope you liked this chapter! :) Please review and tell me what ya think! Thanks! (: **_

_**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**_


	13. lost in the kiss

**Author's Note**

**I hope you liked the previous chapter! Again, feel free to ask any questions. Also, feel free to express any confusion or dismay on the previous chapter. I won't get mad :) or I'll **_**try**_** not to lol. I've started a new book, it's called **_**Dreamland**_** by ****Sarah Dessen.**** So far, it's pretty good. Kay, here's the chapter! **

**Rose's P.O.V**

I woke up to darkness. At first, I didn't know where I was at, then I felt the crunch of gravel and the occasional bump or turn. Soon after I woke up, one of the bumps were so bad that I hit my head. Not surprising, considering I was in the trunk of a car. I sighed and my head throbbed, but it was nothing I couldn't handle, though my vision slightly blurred. Then the car slowed until it came to a complete stop. I heard footsteps coming from around the car and then the trunk door opened. Sunlight poured through me, and at first it was so bright—even to my dhampir eyes—that all I saw was light.

I decided to make a teasing comment. "The light, the light, it burns!" I said in a voice similar to the Wicked Witch of the West from the movie, _The Wizard of Oz. _Then the brightness decreased and I saw Dimitri grinning. He looked like a tall angel next to the light. Like he's come to save me from my eternal doom. Which, if I really thought about it, wasn't that far off from my situation.

He then helped me up and as I stood up, I felt a slightly-longer-than-brief dizziness. I swayed and Dimitri put his hands on my hips. I swayed a moment later, and I probably would have fallen if Dimitri's hands hadn't been on either side of my waist. The dizziness faded away soon.

"The dizziness is gone, Dimitri." I said. He grinned again and an amused look glinted in his eyes.  
>"I know." Then the brief amused look faded and he was serious once more. He dropped his hands to his side and he took a step back. I finally took in my surroundings.<p>

We were in the middle of nowhere. Well, in a clearing with trees surrounding us, but still. There was a cabin about several feet away, within walking distance. We headed up towards the cabin—which looked like it had two floors—and we walked through the door.

The walls were painted chocolate brown and the moldings were painted ivory. There were two couches, one against the huge square glass window, which was next to the door, and one against the wall, across from the other couch. The kitchen was in a side room, to the right of me. I was still standing in the doorway, while everyone else was getting everything ready.

The couches were emerald-like velvet. The carpet in the living room was a soft green, a shade lighter than the couches. In my perspective, I noticed a staircase, leading up to other rooms, on the other side of the room. The staircase curved and the railing was painted gold.

As I examined the rest of the cabin, Dimitri was searching the forest surrounding us. I missed Michael—foolish of me, I know—but I knew he had to stay behind…

Honestly? I don't know where my life was taking me, but I knew this on the road thing couldn't last forever. We had to go back sometime, and then….Well, I didn't want to think about it right now. I had bigger issues to deal with, like waiting for Dimitri to come back to me. Then I could not worry as much, as long as I had my security. Okay, that was selfish, but could anyone really blame me for wanting protection? I mean, even I—yes, I, Rose Hathaway—needed protection and security sometimes.

I was lounging on my stomach on the couch when I heard the door open. I sat up immediately…

…and I met Dimitri's eyes. Just meeting each other's eyes felt like a thousand messages passed through us. I knew we were soul mates—Dimitri and I—even if I didn't believe in the term much. I just believed in us. Dimitri strode over and sat beside me, not breaking the gaze. He leaned down, tilting his head a little, and pressed his lips to mine and then that's when it began.

His hands twisted themselves in my hair—occasionally running over my hair—and my arms locked around his neck, my hands feeling _his_ hair and the smooth silkiness of it. At one point, my back was against the cushions and his body was pressed lightly against mine.

I was so lost in kissing him that since I didn't have the bond anymore—it still felt weird—that I didn't see or hear Lissa at first. That's how lost I was. Dimitri pulled back and stood up, saying something about checking every part of the cabin. My eyes were closed, and I felt as though I was dazed. I waved him off and I heard him chuckle. Then I heard him walk away.

I smiled to myself, my eyes still shut, then Lissa spoke, scaring the crap out of me, "Rose, are you just gonna lie there?" She was obviously amused. She startled me so much so that I jumped; opening my eyes wide, and falling on the floor, face down. I tried to get up, but for some reason, there was stickiness on the floor, making my face and the rest of my body—except my back—and the front of my legs and even my arms sticking to the floor.

"Who did this?" I said, trying to growl, but it just came out as a mumble. I heard Lissa laughing, but I could tell just from her voice that she was trying not to laugh. She replied, still trying to be serious, "Christian did it. He thinks it is April fool's Day, which, to be fair, it actually is April fool's today." She sounded sheepish at the end. I sighed, or at least I tried to since it was actually difficult since my face was against the stickiness. Which, I realized as I felt it, was glue. I don't know how in the _world_ they were going to get me up from this—and if I did, I'd probably look like a glue monster or something childish like that—and Christian was going to get it. Oh, yeah. He was.

"Liss…Are you aware this is glue I'm lying on?" I asked in a mumble.

"What? No I didn't! Christian, get out here _right now!_" Lissa shouted loud enough to hurt my ears, but I didn't say anything. It had better be non-toxic glue, 'cause otherwise, Christian will have more to worry about than just me. Dimitri would probably chastise him, but that's all he could do. Either that, or punish him by making him wear a maid outfit and clean the whole cabin. That'd be hilarious. I heard footsteps and I could tell it was Christian because he exclaimed, "What? Is something wrong?" There was a pause then I heard Christian laughing. Then it faded abruptly, probably because Lissa was glaring.

Apparently I could see that the glue I was lying face down on was the type of glue that was clear—I didn't expect that, but leave it Christian to find some sort of prank to find against me—and I was _so_ gonna get back at Christian. So long as I didn't harm him or anything.

"Idiot," I mumbled toward Christian. I could practically sense Christian glaring.

Then I heard footsteps coming somewhere behind me and I smelled Dimitri's aftershave, he was in the room.

"What happened to Rose?" Dimitri asked, and I felt smugness at the tone in Dimitri's voice. I felt strong arms trying to lift me up by the shoulders and I couldn't help a squeal of pain. Dimitri let me go immediately. I could almost sense Dimitri crossing his arms across his chest.

Lissa said in a slightly weary voice, "Christian did it to Rose since it is April fool's day. Ugh. That's no excuse, Christian!" She didn't shout, but her voice wasn't quiet either.

"I get it! Look, I didn't mean to hurt Rose's honor or whatever, but the bucket of glue said it was non-toxic so you have nothing to worry about."

I heard Lissa sigh. "Hey, did you guys forget me or something? I can hear you know." I mumbled, but I knew they could understand what I was saying for obvious reasons.

"We didn't forget you, Rose. We're just talking this over, trying to figure how to get you out of the glue." Dimitri replied, sounding frustrated.

"Well, it's nighttime, so get ready for bed, Lissa and Christian. We'll figure this out more in the morning."

"What?" I managed to exclaim. "You're just gonna leave me here, stuck in the glue?" I again managed to exclaim.

"Roza, we don't have any ideas _how_ to get you out of the glue. So wait until morning. I'm guarding the living room anyway, so you won't actually be alone." His tone was slightly frustrated.

I would have sighed, if not for this danged glue in the way. I couldn't sleep because I felt like crying. And the reason I felt like crying was because I felt so helpless. I didn't breathe because I didn't want to accidentally eat glue. That'd suck big time.

The glue had to dry up sometime soon, and then I'd either somehow manage to get out or stuck there forever. Well, until I die of not breathing.

"You know Dimitri…I'm probably going to die of not breathing." I managed to get out in one long breath then I stopped breathing so I could conserve my breath.

"You're not going to die, Roza. I'll get you out of that glue before you do. Besides, even if I couldn't get you out of that glue, it'd dry up before you even come close to dying." He said in a fiercely casual tone.

"Yeah, right." I mumbled, a tear managing to slide down my cheek and into the glue. Then I could feel the glue drying up. Hope sprang up inside of me. I tried to get up and I somehow managed to do so. I sat up and then stood up, and I breathed in the air, feeling relieved. Dimitri, for some reason, looked away, looking uncomfortable. I frowned.

"What?" I asked and looked down and I gasped and ran to the kitchen. The front of my shirt and pants somehow managed to stick so hard to the glue that I only wore a bra and underwear. My face felt like it was on fire from embarrassment. At least I wasn't_ completely _stripped, thankfully. But as I walked to a full body length mirror in one of the rooms, I saw that the back of the shirt and the back of my pants were still on the back of my body and legs.

I frowned and then it fell off, leaving me in just bra and underwear. I searched for clothes, but I literally didn't have any other clothes, since the clothes I once wore were ruined. I sighed and walked back out, still in my bra and underwear. I was brave enough to face Dimitri in this outfit. Ugh.

"Dimitri, seriously, it's not like I'm completely stripped of clothes. This is definitely one of the most awkward moments of the year. Congratulations, Rose Hathaway." I muttered to myself, not looking at Dimitri. I sat down on the couch and sighed, finally able to breathe more clearly. I patted the seat next to me and he hesitated, still standing in his spot and looking very uncomfortable but somehow able to stay on alert. I shrugged and crossed my ankles, checking my nails absentmindedly.

Dimitri finally strode over to me and sat down beside me, trying to be as far as possible on the limited space on the couch from me. I rolled my eyes. I let it go, lost in the memories of kissing Dimitri.

And, like always when I think of kissing Dimitri, Michael shows up in my memories. Well, I had kissed him before…Whenever I kissed Dimitri I always feel lost in the kiss, and I somehow manage to lose track of time whenever I kissed him. I smiled to myself, and I noticed out of the corner of my eyes that Dimitri was staring at me. I grinned while glancing at him sideways.

But then reality kicked in so hard it felt as though I'd been kicked in the gut. I was sitting on the couch, in my bra and underwear, next to Dimitri, who was staring seriously at me. My grin faded as I returned the serious look. He seemed to move toward me as though some force was pulling him towards me.

Then in the next moment, we were kissing passionately. Dimitri's lips felt warm and sweet and so wonderful that I felt like crying tears of happiness.

I lost track of the rest of the world, and what was happening, because I was lost in his lips. I was lost in Dimitri…Then some part of my brain noted that we were actually 'doing it.' I didn't expect to 'do it' on a couch. I didn't care…or mind.

Then we broke apart slightly, but he still held me, and our clothes were on the floor. I laid my head against his chest, feeling relaxed. Then I realized something. "I don't have any more clothes." I said, horrified. Dimitri arched an eyebrow at my expression. "You really don't have any more clothes?" He asked, a little skeptically. I didn't blame him for being skeptical. I shook my head.

"The jeans and shirt I had been wearing are ruined and the bra and underwear...well, I can't just put those back on."

"It's better than being completely naked, but I see your problem. Hmm…" He said thoughtfully. I was still horrified that I actually didn't have any more clothes. Well, aside from the bra and underwear. But still.

Lissa came by then and we quickly grabbed a nearby blanket to cover us up. Lissa was holding a basket of clothes and I got up then and nearly ran to her. I looked through the basket and I found a pair of jeans that looked like it'd fit me. I slipped them on and then I looked through the basket again and found a really cute V-neck t-shirt that was light blue and it looked like it was splattered with rainbow colored paint.

I put it on and Lissa smiled at me. "You like it? I figured you'd need it, since you were out of clothes." She said casually. I put my arms around her. "Thank you, Liss. You don't know how much you saved me from total embarrassment." I said gratefully. She patted my back then pulled away. Her pale jade eyes seemed to sparkle. "You're welcome, Rose." Then she went off to do her own thing. I glanced over at Dimitri, who was already dressed and looked like he was ready to go anywhere.

Just meeting each other's eyes seemed to send a million messages through us. Then we parted ways, off to do whatever.

**Author's Note**

**I hope you liked this chapter! :D Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks! (: **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**


	14. unhappy

**Author's Note**

**I hope ya like this chapter! (: Thanks for reading it so far! Also, this chapter might be full of surprises lol. Well, .the.14****th****.chapter! lol! **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**

**Rose's P.O.V**

I was dreaming of Dimitri rubbing sun tan lotion on me at a beach when a loud crash woke me up. I jerked up and I got out my stake from my belt loop. I saw Dimitri battling a Strigoi outside—I could see it through the window, it was broken—and I ran out the door and started to jump in to help him when Dimitri already staked the Strigoi. It had been male, but it didn't matter. They were still evil.

"You're too good for your own good." I said to Dimitri, watching as the male Strigoi fell to the ground, limp. He frowned. "What are you doing out here?" He exclaimed. "You're supposed to stay inside! There could be spies somewhere out there in the forest."

"What? I can't help you?" I asked, disbelief coloring my tone.

He shook his head. "You need to be safe, Rose. So _they_ don't see you. I'm taking precautions, Rose. And that means you can't fight. Not now. Not when it's not necessary."

I threw up my hands, angry, and stormed back into the house. Dimitri followed me and I flopped onto the couch, back first, and I crossed my arms across my chest. I stared up at the ceiling, tears threatening to leak out of my eyes. Dimitri looked as though he actually regretted his words. But I ignored him. I knew I was acting childish, but I couldn't help my anger.

Okay, well, I could help it, but I was tired of staying here in the cabin. I wanted—no, _needed_—something to do besides lie around. I sat up, and Dimitri looked down at me, but this time, I looked up at him and kept my face composed, so he wouldn't see what I was planning to do.

**Dimitri's P.O.V**

I looked down at Rose and she seemed unhappy. I hated seeing her so unhappy but I knew I had to keep her safe if I wanted her alive. And I did. If I didn't want her alive, then I'd…well, I wouldn't dwell on that thought, not ever again. It was stupid of me to even think of the thought.

Then Rose sat up, and her expression seemed calm. I narrowed my eyes slightly, and then I shrugged it off. I sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She leaned into me, pressing her face against my chest, and I felt wetness on my shirt. Then I felt her grow limp and she mumbled, "I love you Dimitri..." _She must be asleep_, I thought. I laid her against the couch, and I felt her chest rise and fall gently as she slept. I stroked her face, her cheekbones, traced her lips, and then stroked her hair. I don't think my love for Roza had ever been stronger.

I'd be so unhappy if I lost Rose. But I didn't think about that, since Rose wouldn't leave and she was safe. She was safe right here beside me.

I stood up and walked to my room, trying to ignore the bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

**Rose's P.O.V**

I had to do this. When I heard him get up and walk off, and the door shut, I got up. I wiped my tears and glanced back at Dimitri's room, then I decided to write a quick note. I went to the kitchen and pulled open a drawer and found some paper and a pen. I tested the pen on the paper and it worked, thankfully. I really didn't want to search around for a pencil or a pen. I wrote in my clumsy handwriting,

_**Dimitri and Lissa, I love you both, but I have to do this. I'm leaving, back to the Royal Court, to fight for myself and I need to do this. I hope you understand and when I make it out of this, you can chastise me all you want. I'll understand. Tell Pyro—Christian—that he may be the hugest dork in the world, but he's like a brother to me. I need to do this. DON'T come after me. It wouldn't help. You better not. You guys are the world to me, and I don't need you in any more danger than you already are. I have to do this, and remember, Dimitri, I will ALWAYS love you, even if I die, which is unlikely. I'm so, so sorry, but I have to do this. I need to do this. Don't forget me. **_

_**Very, very sincerely, Rose. **_

I folded the note in half and put it on the black wooden coffee table. I didn't have much to carry with me, aside from my stake. Right before walking out the door, I glanced over my shoulder at the empty cabin. I knew Dimitri would protect Lissa.

I had to do this.

I had no idea where I was till I was a few miles into the forest. I glanced around, and for the first time, I felt a cold fear. The sun was steadily sinking beyond the horizon. I kept walking though, and I actually made the road. I then realized something. I swore under my breath. I turned around and ran back to the cabin. Dimitri was leaning against the cabin door, arms crossed against his chest, and a piece of crumpled paper in his hand. I stared, and then I edged to the Ford Sedan. I noticed that they had another car further away from the Sedan, and I ran to the Ford Sedan and, unsurprisingly, Dimitri gripped my arms, and my note dropped to the ground. I tried to struggle, but he held me tight. I couldn't see his face, since he'd come up from behind me.

"Roza, stop it! I'm not letting you leave! Do you really think I want to lose you?" He said. He wasn't shouting but he wasn't being quiet either.

"Dimitri, I need to do this! I explained that in the note! I'd rather die, protecting those I love, than be on the run for the rest of my life! For heaven's sake, Dimitri! You…don't…understand!" I exclaimed a little _too_ loudly. "I _do_ understand, Rose! I understand everything about you!"

"Ha! Right, not everything!" I replied back, laughing maniacally. I felt as though I was drunk. He suddenly let go of my arms and I was confused for a moment. Then, right when I turned around, his fist connected with my face. Right before I passed out into unconsciousness, I saw Dimitri's horrified expression…

Then I faded out.

…...

I woke up sometime later on the couch in the cabin. I reached my hand up to my head and felt that there was a bandage wrapped around it. I got up immediately but my vision was still blurry and I felt someone push me down gently. My vision cleared up a moment later and I saw that it was Lissa.

She tried to smile, but her lips just trembled. "Rose, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I guess. Where's…where's Dimitri?" I asked, a little hesitant. Tears slid down her cheeks.

"Rose…Dimitri…well, he was so horrified at himself that…he's still here, just not coming out of his room. He's probably reading those western novels that he likes a lot."

"Oh. I'm such an idiot." I groaned.

Lissa managed a half rueful smile. "Rose, you're not an idiot. But you do jump into situations without thinking most of the time."

"Yeah, I know. What's going to become of me, Liss? I can't hide forever."

"I don't know, Rose. But I do know this, and it's not good. Adrian talked to me in his dream…" She hesitated.

"And...?" I prompted.

"You're not going to like this, not at all. Rose…well…" She paused, taking a slow, deep breath.

"Well, Adrian told me that every guardian that they can find—in the whole region, not just the Court—are going to gather together…and kill you."

**Author's Note**

**Sorry about the cliffhanger! I just had to make it happen so a little more excitement came into the story. Please review and tell me what ya think! Thanks! xD**


	15. emotional

"Okay, Lissa, I'm pretty sure Adrian's just listening to a rumor." I said, not believing it. "Besides, do you—yourself—honestly believe that every single guardian in the region and Court are going to come hunt me down? C'mon. They would have to leave some guardians behind to replace the wards every now and then, and protect Court."

Lissa and I were sitting on the couch, discussing the situation, trying to figure out and dissolve the confusion. She nodded slowly, taking in my words, and then she glanced up at me.

"Yeah, that's true. I guess Adrian was exaggerating…So it's not going to happen, Rose. I highly doubt it."

"Yeah, and considering the Court needs protection…Well they wouldn't just hunt down me for just the one reason." We both knew what that reason was. Lissa went into her room to explain things to Christian, and was going to 'make up' for it. In other words, make out and get hot and heavy. Ugh.

My head throbbed—badly—and I was surprised to feel anger burning towards Dimitri. The anger wasn't anything like spirit's darkness, not even close. I saw out of the corner of my eyes that Dimitri was walking out of the room, an unreadable expression on his face. I controlled the anger, though, and suppressed it.

I glanced at him and smiled. "Hey." I greeted him softly. Dimitri glanced towards me and his eyes grew intense, unusual for him. I frowned and sat up, careful of my head. "You okay?" I asked. He strode over to me and looked down at me, still wearing that intense expression on his face.

"Rose, I am so sorry for hurting you. I'm never going to hurt you again. I swear." He said quietly but intensely.

"Dimitri, I…don't be sorry. It's not your fault. Even you do things you regret. I can't stay mad at you for long, so don't worry. _I'm_ the one who should be sorry. I never should have tried leaving...now I know that I should stay here…and not fight since it's better that way." My voice broke at the end. I was staring up at the ceiling, avoiding his eyes. I was fighting hard to control the tears that threatened to spill out of my eyes. Dimitri sat down beside me, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close. He was careful not to touch my head.

"Roza…You have nothing to be ashamed of. I understand, now, that you wanted to fight. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I regret a lot of things that happened yesterday. So, therefore, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Don't worry."

"Dimitri…" I sighed. I could tell when he started to blame himself. "Don't." This time, my voice was stern.

"Don't what?" He asked, confusion coloring his tone.

"Blame yourself! It's not worth it." I winced, as I lifted my head a little too quickly to look at him, so it hurt.

"I'm not. I'm just saying I regret everything that had happened yesterday. Regret isn't the same as blame, Roza." He said, speaking as though I was crazy. But I knew better than to be childish and storm off. Instead, I got up calmly and walked to my room just as calmly. Then it was appropriate to slam the door. I slid down against the door, crying. Why was I so emotional? I couldn't explain even to myself.

I loved Dimitri, but sometimes he was just so confusing and for some reason, that made me emotional. _No,_ I thought. That wasn't the reason. The reason was that my life was so twisted, so different, so difficult to handle, that it was like I didn't know myself anymore.

It was like I'd changed. I didn't know myself anymore, and I couldn't trust myself, therefore I could only trust Lissa…No one else. Lissa had been there for me when no one else could. Okay, that wasn't true. But she'd comforted me. Okay, I had to admit, she wasn't the only one that had comforted me, Dimitri had too. But still, I didn't know myself anymore.

I wanted everything to go back to the way they were, before my life became a mess. I eventually stopped crying, and I kept my face lifeless and emotionless. I walked out the door and Dimitri was cooking something for dinner. He looked up at my approach. His eyes widened slightly but then he glanced back at the food he was cooking, focusing on it. I shut my eyes, and stood there for a moment, then I decided what I was going to do.

I was going to do something so reckless, so dangerous, that it might possibly hurt me. I didn't care anymore, so I shrugged and kept my face composed. Dimitri glanced up at me, narrowing his eyes, then he glanced down at the food, and I vaguely realized it was chicken burgers. My stomach—betraying me—growled and Dimitri chuckled. "Are you hungry, Rose?" He asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

"No. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Please. They come first. My needs don't matter; they do. Without them, we wouldn't survi—" He cut me off by coming over to me and putting a hand over my mouth. Tears filled my eyes again, and there I was, being emotional again. The tears—unfortunately—spilled over, and down his cheeks. I suddenly felt queasy.

I backed away, and ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. I was throwing up pretty hard but not hard enough to break my jaw, thankfully. When I was done, tears were streaming down my cheeks. _Why_ the crap was I feeling so emotional? I was sobbing by the time Dimitri came in, looking stricken. He knelt down beside me, and I pushed him away.

"No! Get away from me…Victor, go away!" I felt dizzy enough that I was seeing Victor Dashkov. My eyes bulged and I kept screaming, "Go away!" to Victor, who wasn't really there; I was just delusional for some insane reason. Then, the 'appearance of Victor' went away and I saw Dimitri kneeling there beside me, looking overwhelmed with fear and concern. I was breathless and my throat felt sore. I crawled over to Dimitri. I leaned against him, silent tears streaming down my cheeks. "Roza, maybe we should get you to a doctor. There's a town nearby that won't recognize you, and they have a clinic there." I nodded, suddenly tired. He lifted me into his arms, and I fell asleep instantly.

I woke up in a white room, and I saw that I was in the clinic Dimitri had mentioned. I frowned in confusion. Then yesterday's—if it really had been yesterday—events kicked in. I remembered all the crying, the delusion of Victor Dashkov, and the throwing up.

The doctor came in just then, followed by Dimitri, who was definitely way taller than the doctor, who was female. Dimitri looked as though he was stunned, but he kept off his face, though I could plainly see the shock in his eyes. My confused frown intensified.

The female doctor—I could see on her nametag that her name was Jenna—was carrying a clipboard in her hands. She looked at me, concerned, then at Dimitri. She looked like she was a new doctor, probably still in training, not much older than me. "Well, um, miss Hathaway—"

"Rose, call me, Rose." I interrupted. She looked surprised, but let it go.

"Okay, Rose. Well, you're pregnant. I don't know whether to say, 'Congratulations' or sorry. It varies around here. We'd been getting a lot of pregnant dhampir women and teenage girls, so much that…I'm babbling aren't I? Aw man, and I thought I was good at this. Sorry about my talking too much, just something I was born with. Not that you'd care, or anything, 'cause I know nothing about my parents, all I know is that my mom dropped me off at an adoption. Yeah, sorry for bothering you. You're pregnant, congratulations, or, um, I'm sorry!" She hurried out of the room, before she did, her face was bright red. I stared at no one in particular.

I couldn't believe it. I had to look to Dimitri for confirmation. "Dimitri…" I began slowly. "How is this possible? Has it even been three months? Not that it should happen, 'cause we're both freaking dhampirs for crying out loud." He hesitated briefly then…

…he said, "Yes, Roza, it has been three months."

Oh man.

I was pregnant. By Dimitri, no less.

How in the world was I going to handle this?

**Author's Note**

**Hey, I hope you liked this chapter! :) Tell me what you think in a review, thanks :D Bye! **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**


	16. hope

**Author's Note**

**Hey, thanks for reviewing! :D I hope you like this chapter ;) Thanks for reading so far! **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**

_**Michael's P.O.V**_

To be honest, I didn't know what to do. Dimitri had sent me a letter informing me that she was pregnant. And I was shocked to see that he had said that he had said he was the baby's father. _Oh man._ I thought.

I sighed and rolled over onto my side. I was lying on my bed, missing Rose. Honestly, I wish she'd come back, though that'd be stupid of me, since she was on the run. I got up and walked outside, where Abe Mazur—Rose's dad—was standing, talking to someone I couldn't exactly see. I shrugged and walked past them. When I did, however, walk past them, I couldn't help a glance over my shoulder and I saw he was talking to Janine Hathaway, Rose's mom. The height between Abe and Janine was obvious. She looked upset, but that would be hard to tell if I didn't know her so well.

I walked back to them, wondering if everything was okay. "Hey, is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Abe, here, thinks that I look upset. I don't." Janine replied briskly, but I could just barely hear her voice slightly—very slightly—cracking.

"You're upset, Janine, because Rose is gone, and on the run. Admit it. Do you, Michael, think she's upset?"

"Hmm…It'd be hard to tell to someone else, but to me, yeah, she looks upset. Janine, it's okay to be upset if your daughter is…um…somewhere." I said quietly. "Um…I should tell you guys something. You're sort of going to be grandparents…" I chuckled nervously, avoiding their eyes.

"Well, I'll be on my way. Things to do, stuff to get." I said a little _too_ quickly. I started to walk off, and then I felt Abe grab my shoulder. I stopped immediately and glanced at them.

"What do you mean; we're going to be grandparents?" Abe said softly but I could hear a dangerous note in his voice. Janine narrowed her eyes slightly. I sighed and said, "Rose is pregnant…with Dimitri's child, apparently. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now." I then walked off, leaving them stunned; though Abe looked more thoughtful than suspicious.

I walked towards my room, lost in thought all the way there.

**Rose's P.O.V**

No. Freaking. Way. This wasn't happening, I kept telling myself. But the truth was I didn't want to believe it. I just couldn't see how this seemed real. Well, I knew I wasn't dreaming either, because I could obviously tell when I was dreaming.

I was in the clinic today, and I was lost in thought as Jenna used the probe to rub the gel over my stomach. I wasn't paying attention to Jenna's and Dimitri's conversation; my mind was too chaotic.

If you'd asked me six months ago, I would have said, without question, that I would be Lissa's guardian, no doubt about it. But now…I was pretty sure I was on the edge of changing my mind.

I shut my eyes. I drifted into unconsciousness but Dimitri's voice startled me. But the thing is, I wasn't sure if it was Dimitri's voice in reality or in my dreams.

"Rose! Get out of here! Take Jenna and our other daughter! I'll fight them as long as I can, but I can only do so much! Go!_ Now!" _His voice startled me out of my sleep and when I woke up, I was on the couch, panting and breathless, and Dimitri was sitting on the couch across from the couch I was sitting up at, reading a western novel. He put his book down and ran over to me and kneeling down beside the couch, stroking my hair and brushing my hair away from my face.

His eyes showed concern and worry. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asked, worry coloring his voice.

I shrugged. "I guess…It was really weird. You were, like, screaming for me and this girl named Jenna and, I quote: 'Our other daughter' to get out of there, and you were, saying something like, 'I'll fight them as long as I can, but I can only do so much! Go! Now!'" I said. "I was really freaked out, still am, I guess. But it's nothing to worry about." I lay back down, falling asleep instantly.

…..…

I woke up sometime later and I realized I was in a car. I opened my eyes, since they had been half closed, all the way and I was definitely riding in a car, in the passenger seat. My buckle was around me, and I glanced towards the driver's seat. Dimitri's hands were clenched on the steering wheel. I frowned. He glanced over at me, and he smiled. Then he focused on the road in front of us. "Did you have a good sleep, Roza?" He asked calmly.

"Yeah. What's going on?" I demanded, confused. His smile faded, and I glanced over at the backseat and I saw Lissa and Christian and Eddie were in the back seat. Dimitri didn't answer. Eddie spoke up behind me. "We're heading somewhere—I don't know where because Dimitri didn't, or wouldn't, tell me—away from the cabin because the guardians found the cabin—we got out of there right before they got there—and so we're going somewhere far away."

I stared then I glanced back at Dimitri, who was completely focused on the road. "Hold on!" He said then made a very abrupt left turn that was so abrupt and sudden and fast that I almost knocked my head on the window. My stomach suddenly felt queasy. I hurriedly rolled down the window—it was automatic—and I threw up out of the window. When I was done, tears were sliding down my cheeks, typical reaction whenever I vomit. That and because I was pregnant. Ugh. I still couldn't grasp the…the situation I was experiencing.

Dimitri turned onto the highway, and I felt the car speed up. We ended up in a small town, and he pulled into a hotel's parking lot. He parked it and Lissa, Christian, and Eddie got out, but I stayed in the seat, arms folded across my chest. My lips trembled. I knew it was silly of me, but I couldn't help but miss Court. I didn't want to be on the run, I hated it, and I especially hated being pregnant. Dimitri was about to get out, till he saw me still sitting there. I only saw him out of the corner of my eyes; I was staring straight ahead.

He grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. "Are you okay?"

"Why on earth would I be okay, Dimitri? After everything that's happened to me, I honestly am considering going back to Court, just so I wouldn't have to face so much heartache and pain." I knew he had to see the meaning behind my words. Then, very abruptly, he let go of my hand and I suddenly saw him coming around to my side. The tears started streaming down my cheeks as he lifted me into his arms and into the hotel.

It started to rain, at first lightly, and then it grew heavier. We walked across the lobby to the desk and Dimitri got us a room, and he somehow managed to grab the keys while he held me. We walked into the elevator, and I pressed the button, and I said, "I can hold the keys, you know." I reached down and grabbed the keys, which were in one of his hands. I relaxed into his arms, leaning my head against his shoulder.

I cried silently all the way up to our room. The elevator dinged suddenly, making me flinch. The door slid open. Dimitri's arms tightened under me, and we walked out and into our room. It was across from the elevator, luckily. I bit my lip as I twisted the key into the lock and I twisted the knob. Then, suddenly, the door opened all the way.

Eddie was standing there, looking concerned, and Lissa looked concerned too. Dimitri set me carefully down on my feet, and I swayed for a moment, before the world righted itself. I walked over to Lissa, and sat down beside her, and I noticed that Christian was asleep on the other bed. I drew my knees up and wrapped my arms around them. Lissa gave me a sympathetic look. "Hey, Rose. How are you feeling?" She asked, concern plain in her voice.

I shrugged. Dimitri walked over to the third bed—that was to the left of me. The bed Christian was asleep on was to the right of me. "I'm feeling okay, just a little over-emotional, but I can control it better. I mean, I shouldn't have been…so emotional." I didn't want to acknowledge my pregnancy.

"Rose, it's not your fault. It's part of the mood swings and the pregnancy." Lissa said soothingly.

"I know, it's just that everything seems unreal, like I'm in a dream. It's so…so unrealistic, this shouldn't be happening to me!" I started sobbing, mostly because of what I was going through.

Lissa wrapped her arm around me, murmuring comforting words. When I was finally done, I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. I knew it was silly of me, but I couldn't help but think that my life was over. Well, not over yet, if there is a yet.

I sighed raggedly and hopped off Lissa's bed into Dimitri's, suddenly way too tired. Without realizing it, I snuggled into Dimitri.

I fell asleep soon after.

I woke up sometime later—I didn't know when exactly, or how long it had been since I came to the hotel—and Dimitri wasn't in the bed. I was still half asleep, feeling around for his presence, and I murmured groggily, "Dimitri?" I started crying. I needed Dimitri beside me, so I could be calm, and happier.

"Dimitri!" I sobbed, some part of me feeling childish. Well, I was pregnant, after all. Ugh. Lissa was asleep, and Christian was asleep, too. I tried to control my childish sobs. I calmed down a little, thankfully. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand, and it said,** 6:00 A.M. **in neon red. I lay back against the pillows, and I felt hungry.

I got up and walked out the door, closing it carefully. Right when I turned around, I bumped into Dimitri. He arched an eyebrow. Man, I really wished I could do that. "Where were you?" I asked as casually as I could manage, but somehow my voice cracked slightly. Dimitri's eyes softened. He opened the door, and pushed it carefully open. He took my hand and pulled me gently to the bed where I had been lying on. I resisted.

"I'm hungry." I said, pouting. He smiled—it didn't match his eyes, which were full of concern—and he walked over to the small kitchen, just a table and chairs and a fridge, and opened the fridge. He glanced back up at me.

"What do you want to eat?" He asked.

I frowned. "What do we have?" I asked, a little warily.

"Strawberries, oranges, apples, donuts—"

"I want a donut, chocolate glazed, and a few strawberries. And I think I'll take a red apple. I hate green, too sour." I grimaced. He laughed softly, so as to not wake up Lissa and Christian. He grabbed a chocolate glazed donut and my mouth nearly watered at the sight of it. It had colored sprinkles on it. Then he grabbed a bowl, which was on the table and put a few strawberries in it, and then he grabbed an apple—red—before closing the fridge door.

Wait. Where was Eddie? I decided to ask him after I got my food. He gave the food to me, and I sat down at the table and he sat across from me, watching me eat. I consumed it all within ten minutes. He laughed softly again.

"Where's Eddie?" I asked in a whisper, so as to not wake up Lissa and Christian.

He smiled. "He's off getting groceries. Don't worry, he has his stake just in case. Though the sun's coming up."

I nodded. "Okay, so how long are we going to be here? We can't stay on the run forever." I pointed out, raising my eyebrows. He sighed, quietly, and replied, "I know. Abe is trying to find someone. Apparently, Lissa has a half sibling. Abe's trying to find her sibling."

I gaped. "Seriously?" I mouthed. He nodded, a small smile on his face.

I couldn't believe it. This could change everything. "Why?" I asked, somewhat confused.

"Well, if Lissa has at least one other member in her family, then, well, she could become queen. Lissa already knows this; she just wanted me to tell you."

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe it. What…what's going to happen if she _does_ become queen?" I asked.

"Well, then, and only then, she'd prove you innocent. Since, well, we all know you didn't murder the queen." He said casually, and I flinched slightly at the way he'd said, 'murder' so casually as though it happened frequently. I sighed, automatically putting a hand on my stomach.

Could my life be any more different?

Yeah, I guess it could. Good, bad, we all go through it. Especially me, since the bad situations somehow find me. Oh well. I'd deal with it as best as I could. Since, I might, only might, be proved innocent. I met Dimitri's eyes, and I saw a small spark of hope in his eyes.

I had a feeling he saw the same hope in my eyes too.

**Author's Note**

**I hope you liked this chapter! :) Tell me what you think in a review, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. :D Thank you! **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**


	17. betrayed

**Author's Note**

**Thanks for reviewing! :) Now, I hope you like this chapter, and review please, thanks. :) I finished Dreamland, and I gotta tell you, it was very interesting. :) Now anyway, I tried another book****—****Just Listen by the same author I had once told you about, Sarah Dessen****—****and it was a good book. I recommend it. I'm currently reading What Happened to Goodbye, Sarah Dessen's latest novel. So far, it's pretty good. I would highly recommend reading Sarah Dessen's young adult novels. :) Kay, here's the chapter! **

**Rose's P.O.V**

I was reading one of Dimitri's western novels—I actually liked it so far, surprisingly—when it happened. The door suddenly slammed open and Dimitri was off getting groceries, or whatever. He had his stake with him. Lissa and Christian were with him and Eddie was in the room with me. So I wasn't completely alone. Eddie stood up immediately, his face battle serious, and he ran up to the door, and suddenly he got pushed by a Strigoi. It was a female Strigoi.

I glanced out at the window, the sun gone, and the moon was up. Eddie didn't stumble and he grabbed his stake out of his belt loop. I got up immediately, wanting to fight, and Eddie didn't stop me from fighting, surprisingly. Either that or he was too focused on fighting the Strigoi to notice me.

I grabbed my stake and threw in a few quick punches, and kicks. Eddie stared at me for a split second then returned his attention to the Strigoi. There were two Strigoi in the room, one male and one female. I was about to stake the male when he suddenly knocked me on the head, not enough to render me unconscious, but enough so that the world spun. I swayed and that cost me. The male knocked me again on the head, harder this time, and right before I faded out, I thought, _Getting knocked on the head is better than having your neck snapped._

I faded into unconsciousness.

I woke up—or at least, I thought I did—in a strange room. It looked as though I was on top of a cloud, standing, and I could see a picture forming in a cloud in front of me. I frowned in confusion. What I saw in the moving picture, was Dimitri leaning over a young girl, tears in his eyes, and Lissa sobbing. Even Christian had tears in his eyes. Eddie looked upset, but only in his eyes. I raised my eyebrows. "Where am I?" I wondered aloud, and I saw a figure appear and walk over to me. It looked like it was male, and I stared. "What is this place?" I asked, confused.

Then a light appeared and it was so bright, that I could only see his feet, and then his legs, not bare, he was wearing jeans—_jeans?_ I thought, majorly confused—then his upper body, and then his face.

Adrian Ivashkov was standing near me, facing me. I stared, and then glanced back at the moving picture—or clip or whatever you wanted to call it— then the picture shifted slightly. There were rows of chairs, and a casket—open casket—in front of the rows of chairs, an aisle between the rows of chairs. Someone was speaking at the podium in front of the open casket, and I realized with a shock that it was Dimitri. I was more than confused; I was lost.

"Well, as you can see, you're dead, but you have a choice. You can either go up, or down. As in, up to real heaven—yes, you're qualified—or down to earth."

"Whoa, hold on a sec. I'm _dead_?" I asked, heavy skepticism in my voice.

"I'm no angel. I'm just visiting here. I'm not actually dead; I'm just visiting your dream. And no, you're not really dead. You're actually dreaming. I love teasing you, oh man." He laughed.

I glared and gave him the finger. He stopped laughing immediately. "_Not_ funny, Ivashkov! I was scared for a moment there, so don't think scaring me is funny to you! Geez!" I yelled, tears in my eyes. He walked up to me, suddenly hugging me. "I'm sorry, Rose. I mean it. I don't like scaring you, just for my own amusement. That'd be stupid on my part." He pulled back a little to look in my eyes; his emerald-like eyes were sincere. He smiled a little, ruefully. I smiled back, a full smile. "It's okay, Adrian. Guess that I got a little over emotional there for a moment." I said, a little ruefully.

He smiled, and I never realized till that moment I missed his smile…and his presence. Adrian always tried to make everything better. I sighed and then the dream was over.

I woke up in a different room, expecting to be in a hotel in a different town or something. But what really shocked me was that I was in my room at the Court. I tried to move, but I was tied up in chains, around my arms and legs and even my stomach. I was tied down to the bed.

"What's going on?" I gasped out. I could barely breathe, and for some insane reason, I hoped the baby was okay. Hope was a silly thing. If you hope too much, then your hopes crash. If you don't hope at all, then what is there to believe in? There has to be a middle ground.

Then the door opened, and Michael came in, a hard expression on his face. He glanced at me, and he looked surprised. Actually, he looked more like he was dismayed. "What the…" He started then someone from behind him knocked him on the head.

"No!" I tried to exclaim, but it just came out as a gasp. The chains were too tight.

I was shocked to see Dimitri come in, and he glared at Michael's body, which fell to the floor. He lifted his gaze to meet mine. He looked shocked, so shocked it was almost funny. He ran up to me and tried to unlock the chains, but he somehow made it tighter, unintentionally. I couldn't help a wince and a gasp. Tears slid down my cheeks. He stroked my cheek and a fierce intensity lit up his gorgeous eyes.

"I will get you out of this, Roza. I promise. I swear. I will get you out of this." He said fiercely.

He then tried again to unlock the chains. It actually worked, somehow, and I was able to breathe more carefully. I locked my arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder.

"Shhh…Roza, it's okay. Calm down." Dimitri murmured gently.

Then he extricated my arms from his neck, and then, suddenly, he lifted me into his arms. I was taking deep breaths, and then I yawned hugely. Dimitri carried me out of the room, and I fell asleep almost instantly...

**Dimitri's P.O.V**

I carried Rose out of her room. I didn't want to do this, but I had to follow orders. I was in enough trouble as it is. If I didn't follow orders, especially the certain orders I'd received unfortunately, then I'd be almost as in much trouble as Rose.

Okay, not even nearly as much trouble as she was in. But I knew Rose was going to feel betrayed, but I still had to do this. I worked hard to keep a composed face. I arrived at the court building and walked in, working hard to fight the tears, and there was a judge at the front of the room, sitting down in a judge's usual spot, but no jury.

The council was there, in their chairs, to the left side of the room, on the platform. As I drew closer, I saw Lissa and Christian sitting in the second to front bench. I continued walking down the aisle. I felt Rose stir in my arms and I glanced down at her.

Her eyes opened, and she looked confused. She glanced around and gaped. I stared straight ahead and set her down on the floor, standing up of course. I took her hand and led her to the stand. At first she resisted, and then she glanced around the room and sighed, and let me lead her. She sat down, crossing her arms over her chest, betrayal plain and obvious in her eyes. Tears were in her eyes, and my heart broke at her expression. But I kept my face composed and walked down to take my position against the wall, and see—without—really—seeing.

**Rose's P.O.V**

I could not believe Dimitri betrayed me like that. Well, if he was so eager for my death—which I actually, truthfully didn't really believe he was, I was just feeling betrayed—then fine. So be it. The judge asked me a few questions and I answered as nonchalantly as possible.

Then…the judge said towards the council—which were only 11 members, since, well, Lissa couldn't be on it, even though she was eighteen, as was I, but she didn't have at least one other family member—"Raise your hands if miss Hathaway is innocent." Only one did. But that didn't matter, only at least eight hands did. My heart started beating faster than normal. One more hand shot up. _Crap,_ I thought.

The judge spoke again, towards the council. "The rest of you, raise your hands if you think Miss Hathaway is guilty. Some of you may be unsure."

The rest of the hands…they shot up. I swallowed, trying to calm my racing heart. The judge shuffled some papers, grabbed a pen and wrote something down on one of the papers.

"That's it. Rosemarie Hathaway…is guilty. Officially guilty."

I met Lissa's eyes, and she looked alarmed, scared, and overwhelmed with worry. She was close enough to me, that I could see her lips trembled with fear and tears slid down her cheeks.

I felt exactly the same, though I actually didn't show it like Lissa did.

**Author's Note**

**…Go right ahead and express your complaints if you have any. I'm not going to say I hope you liked this chapter, because, well, most of you might not. *-* Anyway, please review though. I want to know what you think. Thank you! :)**


	18. fear

**Rose's P.O.V**

I was prepared for an immediate execution. But, as it turned out, I was sent off to the prison here in Court…until they could figure out a date for the execution. I stared straight ahead, not bothering to look at Dimitri, as they handcuffed my hands, which were behind my back. But as I passed Dimitri, I realized that he had to follow orders. Or else, he'd be in trouble. I sighed quietly to myself.

If guardians didn't follow orders, we'd likely be dead.

Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting on the bench in my prison cell once again. I automatically folded my hands against my stomach, which was slightly bigger than normal. I was pregnant, so I dealt with it as much as I usually dealt with things nowadays.

I punched the wall, which just resulted more in getting me hurt than the wall. I swore loudly and sat back down on the bench, crying and holding my injured hand to my chest. I lay back against the bench, which felt slightly cold.

I soon fell asleep, and I drifted into another Adrian-induced dream. I took it gladly.

I was standing on the beach, right in front of the waves in fact, my feet barely touching the water, and I looked down at myself. I was wearing faded denim shorts, and a red cropped shirt, showing off my stomach, and I saw I was wearing a belly button ring and my _Nazar _was around my neck, hanging from a chain. I was bare-feet, obviously.

"Hey, little dhampir." Adrian's voice spoke from behind me. I pivoted and saw him with an unusually serious expression. I sighed and played with a strand of my hair, twirling it absentmindedly.

A tear slid down my cheek. He strode over to me and wiped the tears that started to slide down my cheeks. "Rose, it's going to be okay. We'll get you out of this. 'Sides, Lissa already found her half-sister, and guess who it is?" He asked excitedly.

"Who?" I asked, wary but a little surprised at the sudden change of subject.

"Jill Mastrano! Who knew, right? I couldn't believe it, either, but considering her pale jade green eyes, the same as Lissa's, obviously, well it makes sense." He chuckled a little, his hand still placed upon my cheek.

"_Seriously?_" I asked, nearly overwhelmed with surprise.

"Yeah! I mean, it wasn't obvious at first, and it took us a little while, but finally, we figured it out. We're going to save you from this mess, Rose and protect your little one." He moved his hand to place upon my abdomen, and he didn't look shocked at all, not even a tiny bit. He actually looked fond.

"How…do you know I'm pregnant?" I asked.

He smiled and dropped his hand to his side. "I have my sources." He said mysteriously. Then, before I could reply, he ended the dream.

* * *

><p>I woke up, feeling confused. Then again, everything was confusing with Adrian. I sat up, brushing my hair away from my face, and saw a tray of food on the floor near me. My hand felt sore, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I got up off the bench and knelt beside it and saw a corn dog and an apple and even a chocolate glazed donut.<p>

I consumed it all. I licked icing off my fingers, and leaned against the bench, feeling a little content.

After all this time, we've found it. We've found it. Or, rather, someone. Jill Mastrano. It was so shocking that Jill Mastrano was the half-sister of Lissa. No one would have expected it. But then again, who would have?

Right when I was going to sit on the bench, going to try to sleep, the door opened and the guardians walked in, and unlocked the cell door. I stared, not moving at first. The guardian arched an eyebrow.

"Are you coming? You're free to go." He said, somewhat slowly. As if he thought I was crazy. I shot up and walked out calmly into the hallway, out of that wretched cell.

I sighed in relief and breathed in the air. I could barely breathe in the jail cell. The guardian who'd let me out, gave me a weird glance and walked away.

I ran past the guardian and I walked up the stairs, leading into the hall, that led to outside. I kept running, ignoring the guardian's odd looks. I was smiling, exhilarated, and when I arrived outside…

I was breathless, both from being outside and from running. I smiled up at the sky, again ignoring the people's odd looks, and then ran to my room.

I crashed into someone, and we fell to the ground. I squeezed my eyes tight, and then opened them. Tears of happiness slid down my cheeks as I stared at him. Dimitri lifted a hand to wipe the tears, and then he sat up and suddenly lifted me into his arms, standing up of course, and he carried me to my room. When the door closed behind us, he spun me around in the air, catching me by surprise…and leaving me breathless.

He set me down on my feet, and I swayed a moment. When I wasn't dizzy anymore, I stood on my toes to kiss his lips. He kissed me back. The kiss was sweet, gentle, and so filled with love that my heart seemed to swell in my chest.

We somehow ended up on the couch when I opened my eyes and pulled back slightly. I smiled. He smiled back. The look in his eyes nearly made me cry tears of joy again. I laid my head against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me, and I felt him press his lips against my hair. I smiled, but he couldn't see it. Our legs were tangled together and my back was against his body.

"Dimitri?" I said.

"Yes, Roza?" He replied huskily. I felt his lips trailing down my cheek. I sat up so I was sitting up in his lap. His lips were on my neck, now, and that made it hard to answer. "What is it?" He said with that same husky tone.

"Um…" It was hard to answer since his lips were on my neck and then back up my cheek and then down. I didn't mind this; it was just that he unintentionally made it hard to answer.

He then lifted his head and said again, "What is it, Roza?"

"Um, are…are you ready to be a father?" I asked in a whisper, but I knew he could hear me. I cringed silently, waiting for the quick and final _no_.

"Yes. Why? Are you not ready?" He asked. Tears of guilt filled my eyes.

"No. I'm not really ready." I lied. But I knew he could see through my lies.

"You are. I can tell you're lying; it's not going to work." He said.

"Ugh, fine. I'm am. Are you happy now?" I asked, frustration coloring my tone.

"I'm happy that I'm with you." He said.

"Fine. Whatever. But just know that I can tell when _you_ lie. And you're not happy. Nope. Not happy, at _all_." I said.

"How am I not happy being with you?"

"Oh." I felt my face heat up in embarrassment. _Geez, could I be any more stupid? _I thought. He stroked my cheek, and the embarrassment I felt faded into something different. I shifted so I was facing him. I locked my arms around his neck, and kissed his lips so passionately, I could have died happily, just knowing that he loved me as much as I loved him.

I ended up on my side, half on top of him. He stroked my stomach, which looked slightly big, and then he stroked my thighs, sending electricity and sparks through me. I guessed that, if sparks fly whenever I was with Dimitri, then I'd take the sparks gladly.

Eventually, I fell asleep, dreaming of Dimitri rubbing suntan lotion on my skin, at the beach. Then the dream abruptly shifted.

I was holding a baby girl in my arms, smiling down at the baby girl, and she was glancing up at me curiously. We were in a room with a crib and a queen sized bed with two fluffy pillows.

The door opened and Dimitri walked in the room, holding a bottle of milk, and he strode over to us. He held the bottle to the baby's mouth, and she sucked it willingly. She soon fell asleep, and I put her in her crib. I felt Dimitri wrap his arms around my waist. I smiled. I felt so happy, so happy that I loved my family…then the dream shifted abruptly again.

I was standing in the middle of a clearing, and it seemed empty. Then I saw Dimitri appear literally out of nowhere. He was at my side, smiling, and then he kissed me, hard and passionate, on the lips. Then he pulled away, grinning wickedly. Right when he stabbed me in the heart with a silver stake, I woke up.

That had to have been the most vivid dream (or was it dream_s_?) I had ever dreamed. I was lying on the bed, Dimitri wasn't in the room I noted, and for some reason, the dreams felt private. Like it was confidential to only myself.

I rolled over onto my side, fear creeping into me slowly. I didn't fall asleep after that.

**Author's Note**

**Hey! I hope you liked this chapter =) Please review and tell me what you think! THANKS! :) **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**


	19. pain

**Author's Note**

**Hey, thanks for reviewing on the last chapter! :) I appreciate it! So, anyway, will Rose's dreams come true? I know there's been a bit of confusion in the previous chapter. Sorry about that. :( It'd probably be less confusing in this chapter, but who knows? Haha, okay. I hope you like this chapter ;) Thanks for reading so far! :D And should I make a story about Rapunzel and Flynn from TANGLED? Or a Twilight story? Tell me your opinions! Thanks! :) **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**

**Michael's P.O.V**

I was just walking towards the chapel when Dimitri fell into step beside me.

"So, Michael, have you heard about Rose?" He asked.

"Yeah, I have. I don't know for sure, but if she really did it, then she sort of deserves it."

I swear, I heard his teeth clench with an audible sound. "How does she deserve it?" He asked calmly. I'd be willing to bet he was fighting to stay calm. I shrugged. "I don't know, I guess that she could have killed you know who. Considering that she hated her, it'd make sense." I replied.

His eyes only showed his emotion—and I could tell he was very, very angry. It was obvious. He then grabbed my arm—roughly—and led me to the chapel. Instead of going in, he led me to behind the chapel. He pushed me against the wall.  
>"Listen to me, Michael Christensen.<p>

"I don't care what you say, but I do know that even though Rose may have hated the queen, but I _know_ she would not kill her. She is not a murderer. The thing is, Michael, Rose may have an attitude, but she is not a murderer. She has a pure heart, and she would _never_ murder the queen. She was wrongfully accused. If you accuse her behind her back, and she finds out, she will never forgive you." He said all this in a soft voice, yet somehow dangerous.

I nodded. "I didn't mean it like that." I said. He narrowed his eyes.

"Then what did you mean?"

"I meant…I don't know. I guess I was just stupid. I really don't think Rose murdered her. I was just…being idiotic."

"That makes sense, Michael. Really, it does."

"Uh-huh. Right." I said slowly.

"I forgive you, Michael, because clearly, you have opinions. And we're all entitled to them." He then walked off, and I stared after him in confusion.

"Geez, he's weird." I muttered and then glared after him.

I walked around the chapel, and then pushed the doors open. I sat down in one of the back pews, trying to get ahold of myself. My feelings were nothing but confusion and sympathy.

**Rose's P.O.V**

I was walking towards the chapel, when I saw Dimitri walking from the direction of the chapel. I frowned as I saw someone walk around the back of the chapel and into the building itself. I shrugged it off, and didn't realize I'd walked past Dimitri till I noticed he'd stopped. The moon was out, shining down on the Court, and I kept walking. I didn't want to talk to Dimitri right now. I just wanted to feel peace at the chapel.

I arrived at the chapel, and I pushed the doors open and walked in. I was surprised to see Michael, sitting on one of the pews in the back. He glanced up at my approach and he smiled ruefully. He scooted a little to his left and I sat down beside him, wondering why he was here.

"What are you doing here?" We said at the same time. He laughed. In my current mood, I didn't really feel like laughing. I smiled instead.

"I just wanted to relax and try to feel peace." He said. I stared at him. He frowned. "What?"

"Can you, like, read my mind or something?" I asked. He chuckled.

"No. Why?" He asked.

"Well, that's what I came here for."

"So I could read your mind?" He asked, obviously amused.

"No!" I couldn't help laughing. His eyes glowed with amusement. Then it faded.

"Rose, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why?" I asked, as my laughter faded.

"I have to tell you something. I was the one who'd chained you." He winced, as though waiting for a blow.

My eyes bulged. So much for feeling peacefulness, I thought. "What?" My voice was too loud for a chapel. He winced again. "Yeah, I was the one who'd chained you. I regret it now, though." He added quickly.

"I can't believe this! I trusted you! Michael, how could you?" I said, tears already filling my eyes. My voice broke. "I loved you, Michael! I cannot believe you could do such a thing!" I stood up and ran out the door.

"Rose, wait!" I heard Michael call behind me. I didn't answer; I was feeling too betrayed. Since it was winter, snow started falling.

I shivered, but I controlled it. The snow grew heavier, and the clouds blocked the moon so much that I couldn't really see clearly and also because of the heavy snow that was falling. I couldn't really see through the heavy flakes, obviously.

Since I couldn't see where I was going, I somehow slipped and fell to the ground, twisting my ankle in the process. _Gee, what a great day, _I thought bitterly and sarcastically. I clenched my teeth, swallowing back more tears, and tried not to scream. I felt like screaming. My ankle hurt badly, but I tried to ignore the pain.

I had to be strong. I carefully got up on my feet, and right when I got up, I fell to the ground again, on my hands and knees. I hated feeling weak. I heard footsteps in the distance—well, it seemed like a distance to me—and I saw a tall figure appear in front of me.

He leaned down and I saw that it was Dimitri, and he lifted me into his arms. "Dimitri…" I whispered, my voice hoarse.

"Shhh, Roza. I'm taking you to the clinic. Please rest." He said gently and soothingly. I nodded, and fell asleep in his arms…

I woke up in a familiar room. I opened my eyes and I saw that my foot was in a cast. My eyebrows pushed together in confusion. I could have sworn I twisted my ankle.

But…it was possible to put it in a cast…But if I had twisted it…then I would have been able to walk a fair distance. A male doctor walked in as I was trying to explain this to myself.

"So, Rose. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Um…Fine. Why is my foot in a cast?" I asked. "I thought I twisted it."

"Your foot is broken, actually. But it's a walking cast, so it won't hurt when you walk." He replied gently.

"Oh. Where is…um…Guardian Belikov? I need to talk to him." I said.

"He's out in the foyer. Let me just check a few things and I'll send him in." He replied. I nodded. He turned on a monitor and grabbed a probe and he asked me to lift up my shirt. I did and he rubbed some gel, using the probe, on my stomach. Then the monitor showed something that shocked me.

"Oh my…You're farther along than you must have thought. You are five months along. And you're also having twins! Congratulations. Do you want to know the genders?" He asked.

"Sure…" I said barely above a whisper.

"You're having…two girls. Congratulations!" He said again.

"Thank you." I blinked, still dazed.

"Do you want Guardian Belikov in here?" He asked. I nodded; my eyes wide.

He nodded back and left the room soon after. A few minutes later, I heard the door open and I glanced up to see Dimitri come in alone. He had an unreadable expression on his face. He sat down carefully next to my side, not near my feet.

"What is it, Roza?" He asked, concern coloring his tone.

"I…well…we're having…um…two girls…" I whispered, still feeling a little dazed.

"Really?" He asked, surprise, this time, coloring his tone. I nodded. Then I broke out of the daze and grinned. "I can't believe this. I'm actually happy to have twins. Okay; I'm insane officially." I said, still grinning like a child.

"You're not insane for feeling happy. You're not the only one who's happy." He replied.

"Okay, you can't honestly tell me you want to be a dad?" I said skeptically. He smiled, amused, but didn't acknowledge what I'd said.

"Okay, so now what?" I asked.

"Well, it depends on your choice. Since you're carrying twins, two precious girls, well…It really does depend on your choice."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you want to be a guardian for Lissa, then we'll find a family, or…" I waited for him to finish. He didn't. I prompted him. "Or…?"

"Or you could be a guardian and take care of the twins. It's possible." He shrugged.

I considered this. "Hmm…we _could_ make it work out right…" I said. He smiled again.

"It's your choice, Roza."

I thought about it. I smiled back. "Yes." I said. He looked confused.

"Yes what?" He asked. I laughed.

"Isn't it obvious?" I said, raising my eyebrows.

"I suppose so. Oh, now I understand. So…just to make sure of your choice..."

I waited. His face grew serious; almost grim. "Are you sure you want to be a guardian and take care of the children with me?" He asked so seriously that my amusement faded slightly.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I help you? After all, there's more flexibility here at Court, since of all the wards." I replied. He smiled and stood up.

"Where are you going?" I couldn't keep the slight hurt out of my voice. He leaned down to press a kiss to my forehead.

"I have to go, but you need to relax and rest. Besides, Lissa wants to see you."

"Oh. It feels really odd without the bond now." I mused. He chuckled and turned around and left the room. I sighed happily and smiled after him.

Lissa came in shortly after Dimitri left, and her forehead was crumpled in concern. "Rose, how are you holding up?" She asked, worry plain in her voice. I smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine. It's the little ones we should be worrying about. I'm carrying twins, Liss. Two girls. I said, grinning at her excited expression.

"Oh my gosh! That's so wonderful! I'm happy for you!" She grinned happily. "Chris, get in here!" She shouted towards the direction of the door. He came in right when Lissa said 'Chris'.

"What is it?" He asked, wrapping his arms around Lissa's waist.

"Guess!" She said excitedly.

"Um…I don't know. Tell me, Liss." He begged. Lissa giggled.

"Rose is having twins! Isn't that wonderful?" She squeaked, and tears of happiness spilled down her cheeks. Christian glanced at me warily but he smiled down at Lissa.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled anyway. Those two were a match made in heaven. I smirked at Christian's shocked expression as Lissa explained why I was pregnant by Dimitri.

When she was done explaining, his expression was so shocked it was almost funny. Actually, it was funny. I laughed. He glared. I smirked, still amused. He smiled suddenly, catching me by surprise. This time, he laughed. I rolled my eyes and gave him my trademark glare. He pretended to shudder. I gave him the finger. He grinned even wider.

I sighed. Lissa just rolled her eyes at us and then she glanced down at my broken foot. She looked worried then a familiar expression was on her face. She reached her hand out and started to place it on my foot, but I said, "No, Liss. Don't. I'm fine."

She healed it anyway. I sighed. I lifted my foot warily and it didn't hurt one bit. I carefully took off the cast, and I pressed my finger to my foot, and it didn't hurt, like, at all. I got off the bed, again cautiously, and I was able to walk as though I hadn't hurt my foot in the first place.

I hugged Lissa. "Thank you." I whispered in her ear. Then I let go. She smiled genuinely. "Anytime." She said casually.

I grinned and I told her we'd catch up later. She nodded and I walked out of the room. I was about to walk out, till Lissa came up behind me and handed me a coat. "Oh. Thanks." I said and took it. She nodded. I slipped my arms through the holes and zipped it up. I walked out, putting my hands in the coat's pockets, and headed towards my room.

When I arrived at my room, I unlocked it and walked in, shutting the door. I turned around and went to the couch to watch T.V. I decided to put in a movie. I put in the Twilight Saga's Eclipse.

When it was done, I took out the disc and placed it in the case. I decided to take a shower. I went to my bathroom—I had my own bathroom—and slipped off the coat and my clothes and stepped in the shower.

I put on strawberry scented body wash and rubbed all over my body, particularly my arms and legs and my abdomen. I put the body wash away, and grabbed a lilac scented shampoo and squeezed a quarter sized of it into my left palm and rubbed it in my hair. After I rinsed my hair, I grabbed conditioner—it was vanilla scented—and squeezed a quarter sized of it into my left palm and rubbed it in my hair. I rinsed my hair again and then washed my body.

I stepped out of the shower—with a towel around me—and walked out of the bathroom to grab some new clothes. On the way, I put my clothes I'd previously been wearing into a hamper. I went to my dresser and pulled open a drawer. I pulled out a bra and underwear slipped them on after I slipped off the towel. The bra was black lace with little hole designs, and the underwear matched. I shut the drawer and pulled open the second drawer.

I searched through the drawer. I found a pair of denim capris that wouldn't be tight on the babies. I put them on, buttoning the buttons and zipping the zipper. I found a cute butterfly print shirt and the color was light blue.

I put it on and grabbed a cute denim jacket that was cropped, showing off my slight bulge that showed that I was pregnant, and the sleeves went down to my wrists, so it was okay in winter weather.

I slipped a pair of tennis shoes on my feet and grabbed an elastic off the table and put my hair in a ponytail and I brushed some hair out of my ponytail so I'd have bangs. I checked myself in the mirror, and I decided to put on some makeup. I grabbed my makeup container, with all the good makeup materials in it.

I applied sparkling silver eye shadow on my eyelids, and then I applied eyeliner, just a shade darker and non-sparkling.

I then applied on mascara. I checked it then I applied another coat. I checked it again, and decided it looked good. I decided not to put on blush, so I applied foundation and then I applied strawberry banana flavored lip gloss to my lips. I smiled in the mirror; thankfully, I didn't look like a clown. I looked like I was going to a club. I walked out the door.

When I arrived outside, I saw Dimitri talking to Lissa and Christian. I strode over to them. I smiled at Lissa, and she smiled back. "You look—" She started. I didn't let her finish. "Nope. You look much more amazing than I do, Liss. You're practically an angel." I grinned at her. She raised an eyebrow.

Dimitri didn't say anything throughout my conversation with Lissa. I ignored his stare. Christian said to Lissa, "Rose is right about one thing. You look amazing, just like an angel."

Lissa blushed. "Why focus the attention on me? Rose is the one who looks amazing. You're just trying to focus the attention away from yourself." She said, giggling. I sighed.

"No. I am not." I said, stubborn. She giggled again. I stared.

"Why do you do that?" I said towards Lissa. She looked confused.

"Do what?" She asked, confusion coloring her tone.

"Giggle." I replied.

"Um…I don't giggle."

"Actually, Liss, you sort of do." Christian said. Lissa sighed.

"Well, I must be on my way. I shall be back." I declared. I winked at Lissa and then left the group soon after. I heard footsteps behind me. I knew who it was just from his aftershave.

I smiled to myself. I headed towards the other part of Court, where the nightclubs were. I arrived at a building on the far end of Court, and I walked in. The club was in full swing. People were dancing, and there was a bar at the far right of the room. I heard him stop. I turned around and grabbed Dimitri's hand. He looked wary but then he glanced at me, I was grinning, and he smiled a little. He let me lead him into the club. No one stared at us; they mostly stared at my stomach. The song that played was **Sparks Fly** by _Taylor Swift_. I recognized the song and artist from listening to my I-Pod that Lissa had given me with a bunch of songs; three thousand songs to be exact.

I placed my hands on Dimitri's shoulders, and he—slightly reluctantly, I could tell—placed his hands on either side of my waist. I smiled up at him. I moved my hands from his shoulders and wrapped them around his waist. We rocked slowly back and forth to the song. The song that played next was a slow song. It was called, **If I Never Knew You**. I didn't recognize the artist, either that, or I couldn't remember the artist.

We danced for a while till Dimitri told me it was time to go. I yawned hugely and my eyelids slid closed but I fought to stay awake.

He wrapped an arm around my waist so I wouldn't fall. I grinned and yawned. "That was fun…" I murmured tiredly. I heard him chuckle but he didn't reply.

Sometime later, I was in my room, lying on my bed. I didn't fall asleep instantly, though I expected to. Dimitri was lying next to me, and I cuddled next to him. I fell asleep…dreaming of Dimitri…and our twins.

**Author's Note**

**Hey! I hope you liked this chapter :) I didn't plan on doing over 3000 words, but oh well :D Please review and if you're confused about something that happened in this story, don't hesitate to ask! Thanks! :) In the A/N before the beginning of this chapter, I'd said I wanted your opinions on certain things. How do you feel—after this story, of course—of me writing a story about Rapunzel and Eugene, from the newest DISNEY movie, Tangled? Or even a Twilight story? Please tell me your opinions! XD Thank you =) **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**


	20. danger

**Author's Note**

**Hey! XD Here is—officially!—the 20****th**** chapter! xD I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review! Thank you so much for reading this story! You guys are freaking awesome! =D Tell me what you think! **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**

**~Rose's P.O.V~**

I woke up a while later, and I noticed that Dimitri wasn't in the room. I shrugged, not bothered, until I noticed a note on my bedside table.

I frowned, confused, and hesitantly picked it up. It was in Dimitri's handwriting.

It said,

_Roza, I have to go somewhere. I'm not telling you where I am because it would upset you. I'm sorry. Take care of our babies; I will always love you and I will never forget you; remember, you're burned into my mind forever. _

_All my love for eternity,_

_Dimitri. _

_P.S. Don't come after me. It'll only put you in danger and risk of our children getting hurt. _

I stared at the note, the tears already spilling down my cheeks. No. I would not let my Dimitri get hurt. If he was in danger…then I had to rescue him.

I changed into jeans and a cotton t-shirt—my usual battle clothes—and slipped sneakers onto my feet. Then I hurried out the door, wanting answers.

I walked to Lissa's room, sure she'd know where he was. I knocked on her door—as politely as I could manage—with a shaky hand. No answer. My eyes widened. I twisted the knob and pushed the door open. Lissa or Christian weren't here. Crap.

I walked out again, this time across Court. I went to Guardian Headquarters. When I arrived there, I pushed the doors open and saw that hardly any guardians were here, except for a few. I went to a male guardian, who I recognized as Mikhail Tanner.

"Hey, Mikhail, where's Belikov?" I asked.

He turned around, looking surprised at my tone, and then his expression softened to that of regret. I raised my eyebrows, confused.

"I don't know. All I know is that he received a threat letter—something about you being murdered—and he left immediately." He replied, rueful.

"Oh. Okay." I said, already coming up with a plan. He narrowed his eyes slightly then shrugged and turned around.

I walked out Guardian Headquarters and ran towards the gate that led to outside the boundaries. Apparently no one was on duty at the gate. I opened the gate and started running. As I got closer, I saw a clearing and there were no Strigoi, and Dimitri was standing there, his back to me.

I didn't stop running until I was close by Dimitri's side. "Dimitri, are you okay?" I asked breathlessly. I was breathing heavy, since I ran all the way out here. He didn't turn, not even focusing on me, he just ignored me. He had a dazed look on his face. And he was staring at the trees in front of us. I glanced over, and I swear, I saw a tree branch move. I frowned, confused, then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dimitri move.

I glanced back over to him, and he didn't have the dazed look anymore; he had a wicked smile on his face and then, abruptly, he pulled out his stake. It was so much like my dream, except, unlike my freaky dream, I knew the signs of when someone used compulsion on somebody; I could tell from Dimitri's eyes. He lifted the stake in the air and then he struck.

And again, unlike my really freaky dream, I dodged. "Dimitri! Snap out of it! You can fight this!" I shouted towards him.

"What are you talking about, Rose? You need to die!" He then tried to attack me again, but I sidestepped him. I was on the verge of sobbing. But I had to stay strong.

"_No!_" I screamed as he attacked me, and this time, he pinned my arms to my side. I tried to struggle, but then he scratched me with the stake, and it felt like I was sunburned, badly, except nowhere near as worse as how a Strigoi would feel. "Dimitri!" I screamed.

"Please! _This isn't you!_" I screamed with every breath I could scream with. Right when he lifted the stake right above my heart, he flinched and stepped back, his face and arms sweating. Our eyes met.

"Are…are you okay?" I asked, my chest heaving. He stared at me ruefully. He strode over to me, and suddenly, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close.

"I am so, so, so sorry, Roza. Someone—I don't know who—used compulsion on me. But I do know is that he threatened to murder you if I didn't obey." I felt him bury his face in my hair. I stroked his arm, trying to soothe him.

"It wasn't your fault. It's all right now, Dimitri." I said comfortingly.

Dimitri pulled back slightly, still keeping his face close to mine, and our foreheads nearly touched. He glanced down and his eyes widened at whatever he was staring at. He then suddenly took off his shirt and ordered me to press it against my arm. Then he lifted me into his arms and started running.

"What's wron—?" I began, but I stopped as I felt something dripping down my arm and onto my jeans. I looked down—after lifting his shirt from my arm—and saw blood dripping down my arm, along with a gash on my arm that was about the length of a long stick, it went down from my upper arm down to my forearm. It looked sickening, and I felt dizzy.

I guessed I didn't notice it because I was so used to pain, I'd just ignore it. Dimitri had no shirt on, but I barely noted that part. Under different—and less gory—circumstances, I would have thought Dimitri was sexy—I always did—but right now, Dimitri was running back to Court.

It wasn't a scratch, I could tell obviously. And I could tell this was serious. We arrived at Court a few moments later, and Dimitri rushed me into the clinic building, and the male doctor from before, rushed around, gesturing for Dimitri to place me down on one of the beds in one of the rooms.

This time, I was awake, unlike many times before I'd been in the clinic. The dizziness increased, and my eyes blurred, and for a while, I stayed awake as long as I could—and trust me, I was fighting to stay strong—but soon I couldn't. I eventually fell into a sleep where nothing could bother me...

* * *

><p>I woke up a few hours later to see that my arm—my right arm—was bandaged. Dimitri wasn't in the room, and I heard muted voices outside the room I was in. I sighed and relaxed into the bed, guessing I'd be here a while. I felt a nudge within my abdomen and for a brief moment, I felt panic rise up my throat, but I controlled the urge to scream. I felt another kick—this time, it hurt a little—and I rubbed the spot where my baby kicked. It was oddly easy to think, <em>my baby<em>, and not be mad or irritated.

That felt strange to me, but no one could blame me. I wasn't used to this, but, who would? What teenage girl at eighteen would be used to being pregnant, by a dhampir no less? I wouldn't, and I don't think I would ever be used to it. My other baby—on the right side of my abdomen—nudged me.

It was hard to think of pretty girl names for my babies. I was thinking something like, Skylar Vasilisa Hathaway and Alexandra (Alex for short) Angel Hathaway.

But I wasn't sure if Dimitri would be willing to go with that, so I came up with something slightly better: Sara Janine (after my mother) Hathaway and Jenna Mia (After my awesome friend, Mia Rinaldi) Hathaway. I thought these were both suitable—and beautiful—names for twin girls.

The door opened just then and Dimitri came in. He walked towards me, grabbing a chair and placing it beside my bed, and sat down on the chair.

"How are you feeling, Roza?" He murmured, leaning forward and reaching his hand out to stroke my leg soothingly. I smiled.

"I'm doing fine; I've just been thinking. How do you feel about naming our babies, Skylar Vasilisa, with my last name of course, and Alexandra Angel?" I asked curiously.

He smiled and replied, "That sounds wonderful for our twins."

"I thought of two more names in case you didn't agree on the first set of names." I said nonchalantly. "I was thinking, Sara Janine with my last name of course, and Jenna Mia—you know after Mia Rinaldi." He nodded and smiled again.

"Either of those names is fine with me. Though, I liked the first set of names." He grinned, and I rubbed my stomach gently, almost soothingly, as I tried to calm my racing heart. I was feeling very, very happy in that moment.

"Okay." I finally replied, grinning back. "We'll go with Skylar Vasilisa and Alexandra Angel." I yawned as I spoke and my eyelids drooped. I felt exhausted.

"Sleep well, Roza. I'll see you in the morning." He stood up and leaned down and kissed my forehead, his lips lingered there for another moment, and then he pulled away and walked off, turning off the lights.

Then he went to the window that was to the left of me, and shut the blinds, and the room darkened a little. I smiled tiredly, then as I thought of my babies—mine and Dimitri's babies—I fell into a state of unconsciousness…and I dreamt of my future…

* * *

><p>I woke up a while later, and I saw that I was in my room, lying on my bed. My right arm throbbed a little, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I was under the covers and Dimitri must have carried me here. The door opened and Lissa came in, followed by Christian and then Dimitri. Adrian followed after Dimitri and then Mia, then Eddie. I grinned, and I winced a little as I sat up a little too fast.<p>

"Hey Eddie, Mia, Adrian, Pyro, and Liss, how are you guys?" I said, still grinning. Christian glared at me calling him 'Pyro'. I smiled sweetly at him. Mia came over to the side of my bed. She shook her head.

"It doesn't matter how we're feeling. Okay, sure it can, but right now, in your current state, you matter. Congratulations on your twins, Rose. Lissa told me," She added. I nodded. Dimitri left the room soon after, probably wanting me to relax with my friends. I smiled over at him; he smiled back and shut the door behind him.

"Hey, I'm fine, don't worry about me. You guys matter." I said with an easy shrug. Lissa rolled her eyes and so did Adrian. Christian, on the other hand, just looked amused. Eddie had an unreadable expression on his face but his eyes had a glint of amusement.

Lissa came over to the bed, and sat down on the bed and scooted herself over to my right side. She glanced down at my arm, and I shot her a warning look.

"I'll make you a deal. I won't do too much, just enough so it won't throb, and I won't heal it completely. Fair?" She asked. I sighed and nodded. She carefully undid the bandage and it looked sickening.

Everyone winced at the sight of it and I nearly vomited. We all looked away except for Lissa. She put her hands on the wound and I felt warm then cold then warm again. She did a little more than making it not throb—she made it so that it was almost halfway healed. She was done and said she needed to wash her hands. She went to my bathroom and I heard the faucet running.

It turned off and she walked out a moment later. I glanced over and saw Eddie, Christian and Adrian watching sports on my T.V and Mia was looking at me concernedly. I smiled. "I'm fine." I said to Mia. "The babies are too." I added. Mia sighed in relief and grinned at me and lightly punched my arm. I grinned back.

I then pushed off the covers and walked towards the boys, and standing near the coffee table, putting my hands on my hips and raising my eyebrows. They didn't notice because their eyes were glued to the T.V. I rolled my eyes and dropped my hands to my sides. "Hey, I got an idea. Liss, Mia. Let's go shopping."

"Okay!" They said in unison. I laughed. "I'll pay for it." Lissa said. I frowned.

"Um, I don't want to waste your money Liss." I said. She smiled genuinely.

"Oh it's fine. Don't worry about it. I have way more than enough." She replied smoothly. I smiled and gestured for them to go first and they walked ahead of me and Mia opened the door. I glared fiercely at the boys till they looked up.

"Before you wonder where we're going, we're going shopping. I don't care if you watch my T.V. Just don't eat anything out of my fridge, go somewhere else if you get hungry." I said calmly.

They nodded and Adrian and Eddie stayed where they are; Christian jumped up to embrace Lissa and he gave her a long soft kiss on the lips. He whispered something in her ear that made her smack him on the arm lightly. He grinned and sat back down beside Adrian and Eddie. I waved goodbye to them and we walked out the door and outside.

Time to go shopping!

**Author's Note**

**Hey, please review and I hope you liked it! PHEW, finally done with this chapter xD Thanks for reading! **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**


	21. Forever and always

**Rose's P.O.V**

I was 25 weeks pregnant (yes, I was counting by weeks now) and so I was six months pregnant. I was lying on my back on my bed in my room in mine and Dimitri's and Lissa's new house. Mia and Lissa and I had gotten a lot of baby supplies and they were already put away. Lissa and Christian were on a vacation, so that's why I didn't see them; they weren't going to be back for a few weeks.

We'd even gotten cribs in my room. Dimitri lived in the same house, but he and I weren't sharing a room because, well, we weren't married obviously. I so wished we were. Pushing that thought away, I went back to the memory of the shopping trip.

We'd gotten diapers, baby powder, very adorable baby clothes, bottles, baby food, and all sorts of essentials to make the babies and our lives easier. I took a long gulp from my water bottle, which came with a built in straw. It was plastic—red—not like the cheap water bottles.

I had to drink water daily—well, we all did, but especially me—because of the babies. I sighed and set the bottle down, and sat up carefully and got up off the bed. I walked across the room towards the door and opened it and walked out to Dimitri's room.

I heard muffled grunts and the sounds of hits and kicks in there. I pushed the door open—thankfully, it was unlocked—and Dimitri was fighting someone about the same height as him, only in a completely covered black suit.

The body shape looked male, and he had Dimitri in a headlock. I ran—as carefully as I could manage—to the crisis and I noticed that Dimitri's legs were tied and his arms were pinned behind his back, and his mouth had a sock in it—literally—but it was tied around his mouth, probably to the lower back of his head.

His eyes widened when he saw me and he shook his head hastily, warning me not to. He was trying to struggle, but he couldn't. So I went around and kicked the guy who was holding him captive.

Only his eyes showed, which were green, but the rest of him was completely covered in black. The guy kicked me hard enough that my back ended up against the wall with a hard impact.

Dimitri, who was still struggling and now was trying to bite the sock, stared over at me with panic in his eyes. I was starting to grow dizzy but I stood up anyway, needing to protect Dimitri. I lifted my fist and punched the idiot—the guy who was holding Dimitri hostage—in the face. He didn't seem fazed, unfortunately, but his eyes did glint with anger. I growled sharply at him.

"Let. Go. Of. Dimitri!" I exclaimed. The idiot guy just chuckled, amused. He suddenly bonked Dimitri on the head, hard enough to render him unconscious. Then the idiot jumped out the window, dragging Dimitri with him. I went to the window, but I hesitated because I didn't want to hurt the twins...

…but I didn't want to lose Dimitri either. Unfortunately, my room was on the first floor, so they didn't get hurt. It was only unfortunate for the guy; not Dimitri. I had to find him; otherwise my life would be in ruins. I couldn't take care of the babies without Dimitri! I don't know how I would survive without Dimitri.

I'd gotten over Michael long ago, and I'd remember telling him that I didn't love him anymore….

Dimitri was my whole world. Okay, not my _whole_ world, but still. So I decided to wait. Dimitri was strong, and he would eventually come back.

A few hours passed and I went downstairs, feeling distressed. I sat down on the couch, shifting so my back was against the cushions. I knew I couldn't go after Dimitri and rescue him, because of the babies I was carrying, but man, I wanted to, believe me.

My heart ached for Dimitri to come home. Tears brimmed in my eyes. I also felt anger at the idiot who'd taken him. I pondered that. Why would that guy—or 'the idiot', I referred to him as—take him? Didn't he know Dimitri was strong? I knew Dimitri wasn't invincible, since no one was perfect, but I did know for a fact that he was strong. Stronger than almost anyone I knew.

I loved Dimitri, and I was feeling a little impatient, but I had to wait.

And if he didn't come home within 24 hours—that was the least amount of time I would give him, and it would also depend on how far they went—I would give him an extra amount of time—The door suddenly burst open and I jumped, nearly falling off the couch.

Dimitri walked in, luckily okay as far as severe injuries were concerned, but he had bruises literally all over him. His shirt was ripped, like cut down the middle of the shirt, and I jumped up and ran to help him.

"Sit down!" I said, managing to order him and sound frantic at the same time. He did as I told him to, and he was sweating somewhat but not as bad as that one night back in the forest.

I ran to the bathroom, and grabbed a rag, turning on the faucet, and ran the rag under it, soaking it completely. I ran out, breathless, and I leaned over Dimitri, dabbing the cuts on his face and forehead.

"What happened?" I asked in a broken whisper. I was breathing heavily because of all the running and earlier fighting. I continued cleaning his wounds, occasionally putting bandages on his arms, which needed the most care. Tears filled my eyes again, making my vision slightly blurry.

"Roza, you've done enough. I'm fine now." I didn't listen, needing to make sure he was fine. The traitorous tears—and mood swings, since I was pregnant—spilled down my cheeks, dripping onto my clothes. Dimitri took my hand that was holding the rag and gently squeezed it.

He carefully pulled me to the couch next to him, and I couldn't help sobbing. The worry and frustration and concern spilled out in a sob. He gently soothed me and repeated, "I'm fine, Roza. It's okay now."

I eventually calmed down, though the worry still somewhat consumed me. The silence was brief.

"Dimitri, are you _sure_ you're okay? What happened exactly? How did you wind up in that situation?" I asked these questions all in one long breath.

I took a deep breath, wincing a little as the movement jostled my stomach. He replied, "Yes, I'm sure I'm okay, thanks to you. And, well, what happened doesn't matter. And I don't know how I ended up in that situation." He answered my questions calmly.

"What do you mean it 'doesn't matter'?" I demanded; my voice stronger this time. He sighed.

"Well, you really don't want to know the details. I managed to escape—and that was pure luck. I'm here now though." He replied. He kissed my temple and I leaned against his side, smiling and finally feeling relaxed.

"Well, I guess the worst is over now." I said. I winced as Skylar—who was on the right side of my stomach and Alexandra was on the left side of my stomach—nudged me. "Are you okay?" He demanded, slightly frantic. I nodded and smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, Skylar just kicked a little harder than normal." Then, before Dimitri could reply, the home phone rang. It was next to me on the side table, so I picked up, it was a cordless phone, and V-Tech was the brand.

"Hello?" I said.

"Rose?" My mom's voice answered. I gasped quietly and grinned. Dimitri shot me a confused look. I ignored him, listening to what my mom was saying next.

"Rose, Abe wants to come over and I do too. Is that okay?"

"Of course. But why does the old man want to come over?" I asked. I heard her chuckle at my calling Abe, 'old man'.  
>"Well, because he wants to see you, for one, and, well, that's all I know." She replied nonchalantly. Huh.<p>

"Okay, fine. You guys can come over, but I'm warning you, if Abe does anything suspicious—"I began warily. She interrupted me.

"No, he won't do anything suspicious. He's not evil, Rose. So, don't worry. Abe does care about you; he just has a funny way of showing it."

"Yeah, he does. See you soon." I said.

"See you." She said then she hung up. I sighed and hung up. I scowled. Dimitri arched an eyebrow in confusion, but his eyes looked amused. "What's going on?" He asked. I sighed, annoyed.

"My mother and my—ugh—father are coming over for a visit." I grumbled, still annoyed. I wasn't annoyed that my mother was visiting, not at all; just that Abe was visiting along with her. Dimitri laughed at my expression. I blushed, embarrassed, and crossed my arms across my chest and stared straight ahead.

"Rose, it's just Abe. He's not a villain." He echoed my mother's words. He wrapped an arm around my waist, and I relaxed slightly. "All right, fine. I admit it." I said. I glanced at him and his expression told me that he was confused. "Admit what? Care to elaborate?" He asked.

"Well, I admit that he's not that bad. Abe's not that bad." I confessed as though I was guilty of stealing something from a fashion store. He pulled me closer to him, so much so that I ended up on his lap. I kept shooting glances the front door, nervous, and Dimitri cupped my face between my hands, forcing me to look at him.

"Roza, you have nothing to be guilty about." He said gently. I stared at his ripped shirt and I felt tears brim in my eyes again.

"But I _do_ have something to be guilty about! I didn't rescue you! If I weren't carrying the twins, I would have come after you. It's my fault that I didn't rescue you, so I do have a reason to blame myself…" I said; my voice cracking.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, it was not your fault and you know it. It wasn't mine either. And I'm actually glad you stayed, because otherwise, the babies would be in risk of getting hurt. I'm more than glad; I'm relieved and so, so proud of you for staying to protect our babies. I'm also proud that even though your instincts said to come help me, you stayed anyway, to protect our little ones." He said.

"Yeah, that's true. I guess it's just nervousness that's making me weak." I said, chuckling nervously. I glanced up at him a little nervously, and his eyebrows were raised and there was a spark of something—some emotion I couldn't detect—flashed in his eyes.

"Rose…" He said simply, shaking his head in amazement.

"Yeah?" I said, grinning. He arched an eyebrow.

"You amaze me, you know that?"

My grin widened. "Yeah, I know."

He just laughed. Then there was a knock at the door. I got up off Dimitri's lap, and opened the door, revealing my mother and Abe. Abe walked in immediately, taking in the room. As for my mother, well, she hesitated before coming in. For a moment, we just stared at each other ruefully.

Apparently it was a long moment because I felt a hand on my shoulder. I flinched and glanced away from my mother. She did too and she finally came in, shutting the door behind her. I noticed that that the hand was Abe's. He let it fall to his side as I glanced up at him curiously and questioningly. Dimitri was still sitting on the couch.

Abe gave me that easy smile of his. "Dazzling home you've got here, Rose. It's fascinating. Nice choice of color scheme." He said, glancing around as he spoke. The walls were a light lavender—Lissa's color, and we all chose colors for different rooms—with light blue accents and a light purple molding.

There was a curving staircase that went around the room, including an antechamber that looked over the living room, with options to walk up either staircase. It was really cool.

"Thanks." I said simply. He just smiled again and went back to examining the house. My mother was just standing there, stone-faced, and she glanced around the room. Abe was walking up the staircase—on the far left side of the room—and my mother hurried to catch up with him.

I raised my eyebrows. I was surprised that they didn't even so much as freaking _comment _on my pregnancy. Then I felt hurt that they didn't even notice that I was pregnant. I felt strong arms wrap around me and I knew it was Dimitri just from his aftershave. I turned around and cried into his chest.

Normally, I wouldn't have cried. But it was the mood swings that got me crying, that and I did feel legitimate hurt. I could not believe they did not notice I was pregnant. I might as well not even be pregnant as far as they were concerned!

I eventually stopped crying and pulled away from Dimitri just slightly so I could look at his face. He looked concerned. I laid my head against his chest. I sighed and smiled ruefully up at him. "I can't believe they didn't notice." I murmured. I noticed just then we were on the couch.

"Didn't notice what?" He asked, confusion coloring his tone.

"That I was pregnant! They didn't even so much as _comment_ on my pregnancy." I said, hurt and a little anger coloring my tone. I glanced up at him, and he looked surprised.

"Roza, they did notice, they were just waiting for the right time to actually say something about your pregnancy. Or, at least, Janine noticed. I doubt Abe noticed, but who knows?" He replied, smiling. I frowned.

"Oh. Well, then. I should have figured that my mom would notice, since she's obviously a guardian, and, like, guardians notice everything…" I sighed wistfully.

"Well, Roza…Don't worry; you'll be able to protect our babies once they're born. Just hang in there." He said gently.

"I know…it's just that…I actually miss being able to protect Lissa. Heck, anyone for that matter! Okay, not anyone. I would never, ever guard Adrian. I'd rather guard Christian! And I don't say that lightly."

Dimitri laughed and then our lips met. It was a very warm and sweet kiss, but as the intensity grew, the passion grew, and Dimitri just _had_ to pull away. His eyes were warm, and so affectionate, that I grinned, trying to ignore how my heart was racing. I leaned my head against his shoulder, feeling safe and secure in his arms.

I didn't even know I fell asleep until I woke up on the couch, and Dimitri was gone. For a moment, I felt panic. Then I saw Dimitri walk into the living room from the kitchen. I had a blanket wrapped around me, but not tightly. I must have looked like a burrito. I just then noticed he was holding a plate of scrambled eggs, pancakes with maple syrup drizzled over it, and—my favorite—a donut. A chocolate glazed donut with sprinkles, no less.

He set it down on the coffee table, along with a cup of orange juice. I tried to unwrap myself from the blanket but somehow, I tangled myself in it. I glared at the blanket.

I eventually managed to untangle myself from the blanket and grabbed the plate of food and sat back against the couch. I consumed it all, licking icing off my fingers, and I drank the orange juice slowly. I drank every last drop, and then set it down. I glanced up at Dimitri, who was still standing there and watching me with an amused expression on his face.

"Thanks for the food, Comrade." I said, grinning. He nodded and walked around the coffee table to sit down beside me. I leaned into his side, folding my hands over my stomach, and I felt Alexandra kick but not as hard as Skylar usually did. I smiled.

Dimitri glanced at me, and asked, "Why are you smiling?" curiously.

"Oh, Alex just kicked. See, feel." I replied. He placed his hand over the left side of my stomach and Alex kicked. An expression of wonder and adoration glowed on his face.

My heart felt like it was going to swell with so much happiness. Under Dimitri's hand, Alex nudged timidly.

"You know, I'd heard some parents who are expecting, talk to their child—or, in this case, children—while still in the mother's stomach or abdomen or whatever you want to call it." I said casually, trying to ignore the way my heart was racing at Dimitri's expression.

He glanced up at me. "Hmm, I suppose we could try it. Do you want to go first or should I?" He asked.

"You should go first, since you have a much better voice than I do." I replied. He gave me a skeptical look at that, but shrugged anyway. He opened his mouth to speak, but I said, "Speak in Russian, but soothingly. They'll probably like that." I said.

He chuckled and then started speaking soothingly and gently in Russian. My eyes brimmed with tears of joy as he spoke. They spilled over as his expression grew exalted. He glanced up at me, starting to smile, but then it dropped as he saw me crying.

He quickly lifted his hands to wipe my tears with his fingers, and said in a slightly frantic but somehow husky voice, "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing…I'm just so happy." I sobbed into his shoulder, suddenly overtaken by the tears of joy and happiness. I eventually stopped crying and wiped my own tears with the backs of my hands.

Dimitri held me close, and I leaned into his side. I was content and happy to spend my forever with Dimitri and my children.

_Forever and always_, I thought, with a happy note to my thoughts.

The next morning, I was in the kitchen, listening to my I-Pod, when it happened. I was listening to _Freak The Freak Out _by **Victoria Justice**, when Lissa came running in the door, hand over her mouth, and heading towards the bathroom. I got up from the table—I had been sitting there—and followed Lissa.

I found her sitting against the wall, opposite the toilet. She looked shocked and dazed; and I wished, in that moment, I could feel what she was feeling. I sat down against the wall beside her.

"You okay?" I asked her, worry coloring my tone. I'd closed the bathroom door so we'd get privacy.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I…I think I'm pregnant…and Christian doesn't know…" She said, still in a daze.

I put an arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently. I smiled reassuringly at her.

"It's gonna work out all right, Liss. Don't worry. I can always give a little 'talk' to Christian." I said. She gave me a you-better-not kind of look. I sighed and said, "All right, either you tell him, or I will. Or," I added, seeing her about to protest, "We wait to see how it all goes out, just in case Christian mentions whether or not he wants a baby. If he doesn't, then we'll go from there. If he does…well, you both would be happy." I said, smiling to myself.

"You ready to go out there?" I asked Lissa. She hesitated then she stood up, looking nervous. "It's okay, Liss. You're acting like it's the end of the world here." I teased. She sighed, not in a laughing mood. I linked my arm with hers and we walked out, arm in arm. Dimitri and Christian were both sitting on the ends of the couch, leaving one empty cushion. Dimitri and Christian glanced up—simultaneously—at our approach. Christian jumped up immediately towards Lissa.

"Are you okay, Liss? Why were you puking?" Concern was plain in his ice blue eyes.

"Christian..." She whispered, and I was still beside her, arm in arm.

"What? What is it?" He demanded frantically. Lissa took a deep breath.

"You're going to be a dad…" I saw the shock in his eyes, and his mouth was half open, looking like he was about to speak. Lissa started crying and suddenly broke free out of my arm and wrapped her arms around Christian's waist, tightening her hold, it looked like. Christian snapped out of his daze and pulled back slightly to look at Lissa. His hands were on her shoulders.

"I'm…I'm going to be a dad?" He asked, sounding like he needed to make sure. He didn't sound like he didn't want the baby. Lissa nodded, averting her eyes to the ground.

He surprised Lissa—but not me, since Christian wouldn't actually leave her because he loved her too much—by wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her and spinning her in the air. I smiled and went to sit down on the couch where Dimitri was still sitting. I cuddled next to his side, and Dimitri wrapped an arm around my waist. I grabbed my I-Pod and popped in my earphones in my ears and put on the song, _Dynamite_ by **Taio Cruz**.

If I wasn't six months pregnant, I would have been dancing.

"'Sayin' Ayoo! Baby let's go!'" I sang along. The song soon ended and the next song played, _I Heart_, by **Taylor Swift**.

"'I got an I Heart question mark written on the back of my hand!'" I sang along. This time, I chose the song instead of keeping it on shuffle. I dragged the screen with my thumb until I found the right song. I clicked it and it played, _Everytime We Touch_, by **Cascada**, the upbeat version. I nodded along instead of singing along. I yawned, feeling suddenly exhausted, and I fell asleep, listening to the song...

I woke up a while later in my room. I yawned, and I glanced to my left to see that my I-Pod was on the bedside table. I got up and went downstairs, still yawning. I arrived at my destination: the kitchen. I opened the fridge and saw a package of strawberries, and various foods.

I grabbed the package of strawberries and set it on the counter. I grabbed the milk and a container of vanilla yogurt, and set that down on the counter. I went to the cupboard to grab a couple bananas.

I set that down on the counter next to the strawberries and yogurt and milk. I went to the freezer and took out a tray of ice cubes. I set that down on the counter, and then in the middle cupboard above the counters, I took out a blender and set it down on the counter, plugging it in, but not turning it on yet. I went to the freezer and took out a container of vanilla ice cream.

I set that down on the counter, opening the lid, and then I pulled open a drawer, taking out an ice cream scoop. I scooped out some ice cream and dumped it in the blender. I scooped some more ice cream and dumped it in the blender. When I was done with the ice cream, I grabbed the milk and unscrewed the lid and poured it in the blender. When I was done with the milk, I grabbed the strawberries and started working on getting the green leafy thing off.

I dropped in the strawberries one by one and when I was done with the strawberries, I grabbed the bananas and unpeeled them. Dimitri walked in right when I started working on the bananas. He was by my side, watching me and I'd glanced behind me when I heard footsteps. Either that or I just detected his aftershave. I smiled over at him.

"Hey, comrade." I greeted him. "Hey, Roza. Are you making smoothies?" He asked curiously. I nodded. He nodded too. I dumped the bananas—after cutting them in half—into the blender and then I added the ice cubes. After pulling open a drawer, I grabbed a somewhat large spoon and scooped some yogurt and dumped it in the blender.

When I was done with the yogurt, I locked the blender, so it wouldn't, like, go all crazy, and grabbed the lid for the blender and put it on the blender, tightening the lid. I pressed my hand to the lid and pressed the liquefy button, and all the ingredients spun around, mixing until it was smooth. I pressed the liquefy button again and the blender stopped. Dimitri helped out by putting the ingredients away. I checked it by taking off the lid and dipping my finger in it and then tasting it. I smacked my lips, and I nodded to myself.

"Perfect." I said to myself. "Thanks for putting the ingredients away, Comrade. I appreciate it." I said gratefully.

"You're welcome, Roza." His voice came from the direction of the pantry. He walked out of the pantry, which was to the left of where I was standing. "Hey, can you grab some glasses? I'm not sure if Christian will want some, I'm pretty sure Lissa will want some, so just in case grab four glasses."

"Four?" He asked to make sure.

"Yeah, unless you don't want any. If not, then more for me." I chuckled mischievously. He laughed. "I wouldn't mind some." He said; amusement in his voice. With his height, he was easily able to get four glasses down from the cupboards above me. I'd had to reach up to grab the blender. Before I could even touch the blender, he was already pouring the smoothie drink into the glasses. I shrugged, not bothered, and I grabbed a tray from the cupboard underneath the sink and he put the glasses on it.

I was about to carry it till he said it would be easier for him to carry it, since I was easily able to trip. I sighed, a little annoyed this time, but shrugged anyway. Lissa and Christian were on the couch, and I gasped as I saw a ring on Lissa's third finger of her left hand. I squealed and ran over to her, and she stood up, grinning and blushing, and hugged me carefully.

"Ohmygosh! You're getting married!" I practically screamed. Okay, I _did_ scream. She nodded eagerly.

"He better take care of you, or else." I said warningly, shooting Christian a warning glance. He acted as though he wasn't scared of me. He smiled easily and stood up to walk behind Lissa, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned against him, still smiling happily. Tears of joy filled my eyes. I sat down on the couch, bouncing in excitement. I couldn't help a squeal.

"Lissa, I'm sooooo happy for you!" I squeaked.

Lissa said, "Thanks, Rose. I'm really happy too." She said calmly, but I heard in her voice an undercurrent of excitement. I finally relaxed my smile. Dimitri set the tray down on the coffee table as though he were a waiter.

"Dimitri, you should be a waiter, considering how well you carried that tray." I commented, taking a glass and sipping it at first then gulping it down, but I conserved it and set it down on the coffee table. He chuckled and Lissa sat down next to me, and murmured in my ear, "Don't you think if he worked as a waiter, girls would stare at him?" in a serious tone. I blinked twice and said very nonchalantly, picking up a random magazine and flipping through it, "Dimitri, don't become a waiter."

"I won't." He said, very amused. He sat down beside me. The magazine consisted of baby stuff, and I knew it should be important to me, but eh. We already had all the essentials for it, so I lightly threw the magazine on the table and turned to Dimitri. I locked my arms around his neck, and kissed him so passionately, you'd think I would be on fire. But no, I wasn't on fire.

Well, not visibly at least. My heart was racing, and desire kicked in. I was careful not to squeeze against Dimitri, since I was pregnant with twins. He, of course, kissed me back, and our lips moved perfectly, almost in sync. I pulled back slightly to look at him, and I was breathless. The look in his eyes made my heart swell.

I sat back against the couch, holding Dimitri's hand and squeezing it gently. I loved Dimitri—_That_ was stating the obvious—so much that my heart seemed to be overwhelmed with so much love and passion and desire. Of course, part of my heart belonged to mine and Dimitri's babies. I loved my family, and of course I loved my life, again that was stating the obvious and the sentence sounded silly to me, but it was true.

There was no denying it: I was in love with a man, I had a family, I was going to have two beautiful baby girls, and I had a best friend who cared about me—not that I was self-centered, just simply stating the facts—and that best friend was going to get married. Of course, I had a few other friends, like Mia and Eddie and Mason, though I had no idea what happened to him. The last I saw him was at graduation.

What more could I ask for? The answer was: Nothing. I had more than enough, and I didn't need anymore, but one thing remains: How would I be a guardian and a mother at the same time? And how would I be able to handle it?

Honestly, I didn't know. But I did know this: I may not be sure of whether I'd be a good mother, but I knew I was already a very great kick-butt guardian. Not that I'm selfish. I smiled to myself, and my heart calmed down enough to beat normally.

I had no words to explain how I was feeling.

_Happy_ didn't even _begin_ to explain how I was feeling.

**Author's Note**

** I managed to get up 5000+! No, seriously, that's like a first for me. I can't **_**believe**_** that I got up to 5000+! I was surprised that I was at 4000+, let alone 5000 words! I was originally going to stop somewhere around 4000+ words, but I couldn't seem to find the right spot to end this chapter at. Don't worry; I'll write more for this story. xD Don't forget to review! And tell me what ya think! Thank you!**

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**


	22. sparks fly

**A/N**

**Hey! I hope you all liked the previous chapter :D Wow, I actually managed to write 6000+ words for this chapter! XD Awesome, so I hope you guys like this chapter, and please review and tell me what you think! Thanks! :) Also, be aware that there's probably going to be a little more drama than usual, so yeah. I'm definitely going to not end this story for a while. ;) Okay, have a good day!**

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~ **

**Rose's P.O.V **

_~Two Months Later~_

I was 34 weeks pregnant and I was more exhausted than my usual sleeping habit, and I was definitely hungrier. We were on our way to Russia, and I was worrying about how Dimitri's family would think.

I was sitting in the plane next to Dimitri, worrying and fidgeting.

"Roza, they'll like you, don't worry." He said with that calmness that I loved about him. He took my hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"How do you know that?" I asked frantically. He chuckled.

"Because I know my family, they're not judgmental. Not even my grandmother, Yeva. Though she is…unique." He said.

"Are you sure?" I asked, still frantic and worried. I was so scared that they wouldn't accept me…or the twins.

"Yes, Roza, I'm sure." I was relieved, but only slightly.

A couple hours pass and I was starting to get tired when Dimitri nudged me gently.

"What is it?" I said groggily.

"Look out your window." He replied. I did, and gasped quietly. The valley was beautiful, and I saw a city up ahead. The plane was landing, and we fastened our seatbelts.

I glanced at Dimitri, worried, and he smiled reassuringly. The plane finally landed and Dimitri grabbed our suitcases and Adrian and Lissa and Christian followed. We stepped off the plane and walked across the runway and into the parking lot on the far side where cars waited to pick up people from the airport. Dimitri had told me beforehand that his mother would be picking us up.

We arrived at the parking lot and Dimitri led us towards one of the vans, which, I could tell, was rented. A lady came out of the van and practically ran toward us.

She hugged Dimitri. He hugged back, grinning. Their difference in height was like that of my mom compared to Abe.

"Dimka, I missed you! Come, come, and let's get in the van, all of you. Dimka, you're in the passenger seat, and the rest of you file in, please. Oh, you must be Roza." She said, glancing at me. I smiled politely. "Hello…" I waited for a name.

"Olena Belikov." She said, smiling at me. Then she ushered us in the van, and I was careful with my babies. I sat between Adrian and Lissa, and they both grinned at me. Christian was stuck next to Adrian. We took up the front seat. I laughed at Christian's expression, which was annoyed.

"You annoyed, Pyro?" I teased him. He rolled his eyes and glared at me. I smiled back. Olena put the key in the ignition and we were on our way.

"So, Dimka, how are you?" Olena asked Dimitri. He smiled and replied in Russian. She smiled too and nodded.

"Why do you call him Dimka?" I asked curiously.

She replied to me, "That's his Russian name," in a kind voice. I frowned. "Why call him Dimka? Why not, oh, something like Dimi?" They just laughed.

"Because, Roza, it's Russian; you don't have to understand it." Dimitri replied, still chuckling. I frowned, still a little confused, then shrugged.

Something nudged me and I jumped, startled, and turned in my seat—careful with my torso of course—and saw a girl with brown hair with gold streaks. She was grinning at me, a little mischievously, and when I turned around, I saw Olena glance in the rearview mirror, and gasp.

"Viktoria! How did you get in here?" She demanded. I saw Dimitri shift in his seat and glance back at—Viktoria?—with raised eyebrows. I glanced back at her and her arms were crossed against her chest.

"I hid in the cargo space." She replied smoothly. I saw Adrian smiling to himself, probably amused.

"Viktoria, you know you shouldn't do that." Dimitri chastised her.

"I did, and so there's no point in talking about it further. We're almost home." She said a little defiantly.

Dimitri sighed and turned around in his seat. We arrived at a decent sized house, and she pulled up in front of the house, next to the curb. We got out then and we saw that she wasn't coming in.

"Aren't you coming too, mother?" Dimitri asked.

She shook her head. "No, I have to return this van to the rental place. Since my car couldn't exactly fit all of you." She replied then waved goodbye and drove off.

We watched her drive off then we walked up the walkway. Viktoria was behind Adrian, and Lissa was beside me, and Christian was next to Lissa.

Adrian was behind us, and Dimitri led the way. He opened the door, and before we could step inside, Viktoria ran ahead of us and into the house. I saw Dimitri roll his eyes, but he smiled anyway.

We stepped inside, and I saw Viktoria carry a tray of some delicious looking dessert—it nearly made my mouth water—and set it down on the table. She ran to the fridge, and got out a carton of what looked like milk and set it down on the table, nearly spilling it.

She ran towards the cupboards and got out some glasses and set it down on the table. She was panting, breathless, from the exertion, and she poured the carton of what looked like milk into the glasses, and handed us each one.

"Please…help…yourself…to…the…snack…" She panted, obviously breathless.

"Thanks." I said to her and drank the milk. I grabbed some of the snack and the moment I took a bite, I was in instant heaven. It tasted like caramel and chocolate and melted marshmallow and sprinkles combined together…

I glanced behind me and I saw Dimitri walk up the stairs. Christian and Adrian and Lissa grabbed some of the treat. Lissa and Adrian said, "Thank you," at the same time. They glanced at each other and laughed. Christian drank his milk and so did Lissa and Adrian. Viktoria took our glasses and set them down in the sink and turned the water on and then turned to us.

"So…um…you guys are from the States?" She asked.

"Yeah." I said, as an awkward silence slowly grew between us.

"Are you carrying twins?" She asked me.

"Yeah, two girls…you're…um…you're going to be an aunt. Dimitri's the father." I replied. Shock was plain on her face and then excitement lit up her face.

"Wow, that's awesome! I'm going to be an aunt!" She spun around in excitement, and hit the faucet. She winced a little as she hit it. The faucet was the type that bends, so it squirted out water all over the room. Everyone but me and Viktoria hid for cover, Christian hid in the laundry room, and Lissa joined him in the laundry room, which was adjacent to the kitchen. Adrian hid in the living room.

We walked up cautiously and I heard Dimitri's voice coming from the direction of the stairs:

"What's going on?"

"Uh, nothing we can't handle!" I shouted over my shoulder. We finally managed to turn off the faucet, and when we turned around, we saw literally the whole kitchen floor—and most of the black wood table—was covered in water.

We were holding onto the counter, trying not to slip, and Dimitri walked down the stairs and when he saw the whole kitchen floor was covered in water, he stopped at the edge of the carpet that led into the kitchen. He was shocked at first, then an angry expression crossed his face.

"_How_…on earth did you manage this?" He asked calmly, but I detected an undercurrent of anger. I glanced at Viktoria, who looked sheepish and embarrassed.

"It was my fault Dimka! I…I was spinning around in excitement and I accidentally hit the faucet! It was on, since I was washing the glasses, and so…so…" She couldn't finish; tears were in her eyes. We started to slip, but we tightened our hold on the counter.

Well, I did. Viktoria accidentally let go and slid across the room, towards the table, and crashed into it, knocking her stomach hard enough that she had to have gotten the breath knocked out of her. She fell, limp, to the floor, and started crying. Dimitri ran to her, heedless of the water, and lifted her in his arms and he ran towards the living room. I saw the whole thing within minutes.

Dimitri came back a moment later, running across the water without slipping somehow, and lifted me into his arms and I saw that his expression was determined but I saw the worry in his eyes. Once he was on the carpet, he slowed and set me down on the couch, where Viktoria was sitting, her foot propped up on a pillow.

"What…what happened to your foot?" I asked, concern coloring my tone. She half-smiled and shrugged. Dimitri went to the closet that was near the front door, and opened it and grabbed a…mop. He went to the kitchen and started mopping then he disappeared out of my view.

"Oh, I just twisted it, no biggie." She said as though it was no big deal. I glanced at Adrian and he arched an eyebrow. But I could have sworn I saw concern in his emerald eyes. He stood up and walked towards where we were sitting. He stood in front of Viktoria.

**Viktoria's P.O.V**

Rose asked me, "What…what happened to your foot?" in a concerned voice. I half-smiled and shrugged. I noticed my big brother getting a mop out of the closet near the door. I glanced down at my foot, which was throbbing badly, even though it was bandaged.

Dimka had bandaged it. I glanced back at Rose, who glanced at the guy with the emerald-like eyes. I think his name was Adrian. I just didn't know his last name…it clicked suddenly. He was Adrian Ivashkov, and he was royal _and_ a spirit user!

"Oh, I just twisted it, no biggie." I said nonchalantly, like it was no big deal. I glanced down again, and then suddenly I saw someone standing in front of me. I glanced up and it was Adrian. My face turned bright red for some insane reason.

"W-what?' I stuttered. He was staring at me ruefully.

He shook his head, suddenly smiling like a millionaire. "Nothing. Can't I stare at you?" He said, smiling crookedly. My face felt like it was on fire. I gave him a blank look.

"Sure, stare at me all you want." I said without thinking. Ergh! I was such an idiot! I could NOT believe I just said that! "Uh, I…Ignore it!" I said frantically, waving my hands around for emphasis. A look of confusion flashed across his face. I glanced at Rose for help, but she just looked amused.

I tried to stand up, but Adrian's arm shot out and pushed me down gently, and suddenly, there was nothing else in the world but him touching me. Sparks flew instantly right when he touched me. He dropped his arm, and looked dazed. I sat back down, and I glanced sideways at Rose. She looked just as confused as I felt.

"I…I'll be in the room I'm staying at." Adrian said, and then he ran up the stairs. I sighed, and pushed back some hair that was falling in front of my face.

"Hey, you okay?" Rose said, concern in her voice, and she touched my arm gently, soothingly. I felt my forehead crease.

"Yeah, I…I think so. Geez, that was weird." I said right when Dimitri walked in.

"What was?" He asked, sitting on the couch across from us.

"Uh…The whole mess in the kitchen. That was _really_ stupid of me, I know. I guess I got caught up in the moment of the excitement of being an aunt…" I trailed off, feeling idiotic about lying. Dimitri narrowed his eyes, but didn't question it. Just by the narrowing of his eyes, I could tell he could tell I lied.

Rose covered for me. "Yeah, the whole mess in the kitchen _was_ weird, Dimka. Don't worry about it. It's over now." She said, shrugging. I surreptitiously shot her a grateful look, but of course Dimitri noticed.

"What is it?" He said in that _no fooling around_ tone. I sighed.

"Fine. I'll tell you. I have a crush on Adrian, okay? Gosh, no need to be so fussy..." I trailed off, this time because I saw a spark of anger kindle in his eyes. He frowned.

"You do?" He said flatly, toneless.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, I do." I said defiantly, but I knew it was the truth. He sighed and glanced at Rose, and I did too, and I saw she was asleep, snoring lightly. Dimitri got up off the couch and walked over to where Rose was sitting, asleep.

He lifted her easily into his arms, and he gave me a look that said we were going to have a talk later. I sighed and nodded. I felt my forehead crease in worry as he walked up the stairs with Rose.

I walked—well, limped—towards the kitchen and I saw that the kitchen floor was clean and wasn't wet. I heard the front door open behind me and I glanced over my shoulder and saw that my mother was home. She smiled at me, and I half-smiled back.

"Hey, sweetie, I'll get supper ready and—what on earth happened to your foot?" She said, glancing down, and I swallowed.

"Um…Well, here's what happened…" I then recapped the events that happened. She looked worried as I told what happened.

"What? So Dimka mopped the floor? Oh, I'll have to thank him. Be careful next time, Viktoria. I don't want to see you get hurt." She said, concern coloring her tone. I nodded, and replied,

"Well, I guess the worst is over now. It's not like I'm going to have a streak of bad luck or anything."

"You're probably right. Look, your grandmother is on her way, so please be good in front of the guests, okay? Especially Rose, now that she's pregnant by Dimitri." She said, shaking her head in amazement.

"I know, right? I'm actually excited to be an aunt." I said, grinning. She smiled back, but I could see the worry in her eyes. I heard the front door slam open and we glanced over to see grandmother walking in the door. She might look old and frail, but she was one of the strongest people I knew.

And she preferred speaking in Russian rather than English. She said—in Russian—that she was hungry and wanted some black bread. She sat down at one of the chairs at the table, and gave us a blank look. She glanced down at my foot, and then glanced up at my face. She narrowed her eyes. I grinned sheepishly and I limped across the room towards the stairs and climbed the stairs as fast as I could.

I was walking to my room when I saw the door to the guest room was open. Adrian was sprawled on his bed, his legs crossed, reading a book of some sort. He glanced up and our eyes met. His expression was unreadable, but I saw concern in his emerald-like eyes. I felt the sparks fly between us, even without touching. I limped to my room and when I did, I locked it and slid my back down the door.

I had never felt this way before. I don't know why, but something about him was compelling. Like an addiction. But there was more to it than that. I couldn't explain it, but whenever I felt the sparks fly between us, I felt like I couldn't live without him.

_I'm such an idiot for feeling this way_, I thought, but my heart said otherwise. I loved him, and I knew it was going to cost me for feeling this way. I didn't know how, but I just knew that I'd have to pay the price for feeling this way.

**Rose's P.O.V**

I was dreaming happily. I stood in a room in a cabin—it wasn't a spirit dream, I would tell if I was having a spirit dream—and I was holding my twin girls, feisty Skylar and cute Alexandra, and Dimitri was asleep in the rocking chair. I smiled at him and down at our babies. I tucked Skylar into Dimitri's arm and he woke up instantly. He glanced down at Skylar, and his eyes softened. His lips curved into the smile I loved, and then…

…the dream shifted.

This time, I was standing in the middle of a ballroom at the Royal Court. I saw Viktoria there, and everything around me seemed to be in slow motion. I saw Viktoria crouching in front of Dimitri, in a protective posture, and then a bullet zoomed through the air, heading towards Viktoria.

"NO!" I screamed, as the bullet pierced her chest, and she fell to the floor, and I recognized each emotion that flickered across Dimitri's face.

Horror. Grief. Troubled. Fear. Anger. That last emotion seemed to be his permanent expression. Oh, he was more than angry; he was murderously enraged. Then, suddenly, before he could attack whoever shot Viktoria, I saw the bullet before it pierced _my _chest. I stared at nothing in particular, and before I faded off, I saw Dimitri and Lissa, the two people I loved most.

* * *

><p>I woke up screaming. I saw the door open out of the corner of my eye. Dimitri walked in, and said frantically, "What is it?" then looking around for any threat. I shook my head, tears flowing down my cheeks.<p>

"Dimka…I…I had the most terrible nightmare...Well, it started out as a good dream…" I explained my dream/nightmare to him. His eyes grew worried but he said, "It won't come true, Roza. Don't over-worry. It's all right now." He said, sitting on the bed and holding me close, and I cried into his shoulder.

"I just can't help feeling…so scared…" I whispered brokenly. He lifted my chin with his finger so I could meet his eyes.

"It will not happen, I swear it won't. Nightmares don't usually come true. It's all right now, Roza." He said soothingly.

"I know; thanks. Will you…could you sleep here with me? I don't want to be alone…" I whispered.

"Of course, Roza." He murmured and we lay down together, and as I curled up against his chest, I fell asleep dreamlessly…

**Viktoria's P.O.V'**

"Vika, wake up." Someone murmured to me, and I grumbled, still groggy and half-asleep. Without realizing it, I threw a pillow towards his direction.

"Do you not want some blini?" The same someone asked, and I sat up so quickly that I bumped my head against Dimitri's chest, and he had been leaning forward, apparently trying to wake me up. I groaned, and said a little groggily,

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Geez, Dimka, could you seriously not try to be so macho?" He just laughed and said while laughing, "C'mon, Vika. Or must I carry you?"

"No, no! I'm coming!" I shot up out of bed and he laughed again. I raced past him down the stairs, and I would have tripped if not for Dimitri.

He caught me around the waist before I could fall. I glared up at him, and when I was okay, he set me down on the floor and I ran towards the kitchen, and I could smell the blini cooking.

"Mmmmm…." I said, practically in heaven and I hadn't even eaten the blini yet. I sat down at the table, next to Rose, who was already up. Adrian sat across from me, looking amused. My heart seemed to flutter at his presence, but I ignored it. I saw Christian and Lissa—I'd learned their names recently—sitting next to Rose. Lissa was sitting next to Rose, and Christian on Lissa's other side.

"Patience, Vika." My mother said. I saw Dimitri walk around the table to sit next to Adrian, and I flinched at that. Adrian grinned at Dimitri and Dimitri grinned back. Oh, man. I started chewing on my fingernails nervously. My mother served the blini—they were ultra-thin pancakes, and they were really good with butter, I was sort of obsessed with them—onto each of our plates.

I started eating the blini immediately, and each bite was like heaven. I was done before anyone else was. I wiped my mouth with my napkin, and chugged down my milk. Grandmother gave me a scolding look, and my mother just sighed but smiled anyway. I got up and washed my dish and said, "I'll be in my room!" and started to run towards my room till Dimitri's voice stopped me: "Wait, Viktoria. We still need to talk."

I muttered unintelligibly, and pivoted so I was facing him. I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Yeah?" I said. "Where do you want to talk at?" I gritted my teeth. He stood up, wiping his mouth politely with his napkin and took his dishes and walked over to the sink and set them down. I saw Rose glance at me—ruefully—and then at Dimitri, her eyes warning him.

He nodded to her, and he gestured out towards the front door, waiting for me to walk. I sighed loudly and walked towards the front door, and when we were both outside, he shut the door quietly.

He crossed his arms across _his_ chest. He may have looked intimidating to other people but to me…okay, well, he was still intimidating.

"Do you like Adrian?" He asked calmly.

"Yeah, of course I do. I love him, though I just met him. I feel like whenever I see him, sparks fly between us. It's like…it's like he's my soul-mate…I think he is…" I had the urge to be honest to him. His eyebrows shot up.

"Are you aware of his reputation?" He demanded.

"No. What reputation?" I asked.

"He drinks, he smokes, and he flirts, and I don't think he's the kind of guy you should be around. It's all right if you're friends, but thinking that you're soul-mates isn't going to change his reputation, unless he changes it himself." He said, still calmly, but I detected an undercurrent of anger in his voice.

"I don't _think_ we're soul-mates! I _know_ we're soul-mates!" I exclaimed, tears of anger threatening to spill down my cheeks. He nodded as though we were having a casual conversation.

"All right, fine. But if you two want to date, go right ahead, but make sure Mom knows about it first, so she has a clue. Just know he's the type of guy that drinks and smokes. He is twenty-one after all." He then turned around and walked back up the stairs. I grabbed the hem of his shirt. He looked surprised.

"Was that a threat?" I said through gritted teeth. Now, he just looked horrified.

"Why on earth would I threaten my baby sister?" He demanded, now a little angry. I glared, trying to hide my fear and put on a defiant look.

"Well, you…you…you…Erghhhhhh!" I shouted. I knew I was being childish, but in that moment I didn't really care. I let go of his shirt and ran past him into the house and ran upstairs to my room, slamming the door behind me. Okay, it was official: I was insane.

I cried and cried and when I heard Dimitri's gentle voice saying to come out, I shouted, "Go away! I don't need you! Go protect Rose! She's all you ever care about! You don't know how long I've waited for true love, and you had to ruin it all by saying that Adrian—_My_ Adrian—has a 'bad reputation!" Oh, I was going to pay the price, pay the cost, and in that moment, I didn't realize that Adrian, Christian, and Rose were outside my door.

I guessed I was just emotional today.

I went to my bed, and curled up next to my stuffed animal, Kara, which was a horse. I fell asleep with tears streaming down my face.

**Rose's P.O.V**

I was outside her door as was Adrian and Christian and Dimitri. Dimitri tried to get her out by saying gently, "Please come out, Viktoria."

"Go away!" She shouted, making me flinch. "I don't need you! Go protect Rose! She's all you ever care about! You don't know how long I've waited for true love, and you had to ruin it all by saying that Adrian—_My_ Adrian—has a 'bad reputation'!"

My lips trembled, but I fought to stay strong. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Dimka let her calm down. She needs her space." Olena said gently. He nodded and took my hand and we walked down the hall to Dimitri's room. I curled up against Dimitri and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. I felt safe and secure in his arms. I soon fell asleep shortly thereafter…

**Viktoria's P.O.V**

When I woke up the next morning, I felt as if all the energy I'd had yesterday melted away into oblivion. I got up off my bed, changed into jeans and a plain tank top, and went downstairs. Dimitri was sitting alone at the table, drinking a mug of coffee. For a moment, I hesitated, not sure what he'd think. Then I walked in the kitchen. He glanced at me but I ignored him and went to the fridge.

"Where are Rose, Adrian, Lissa, and Christian?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could manage.

"They're shopping for new clothes and anything that they need to bring on the trip home later this afternoon." He replied quietly. My heart seemed to stop. No, no. I was planning on getting to know Adrian. No, he couldn't leave so soon! I kept my thoughts to myself, wondering why they were leaving so soon.

"Dimka…are you…are you really leaving so soon?" I asked quietly. I heard him get up off the chair, and when I glanced over at him, he was walking towards me. I hugged him around the waist and pressed my face into his chest.

"I'm sorry, Viktoria, but we have to get home sometime. I will miss you though, very much. You're my sister, and no matter how tense things become between us, I'll always be there for you when you need me."

I faked a smile and pulled back slightly. "It's not your fault, Dimka. You're my big brother, and…okay, there's no need to be so emotional. Aw, are you crying Dimka?" I teased him. He rolled his eyes and smiled, pulling back, and ruffling my hair. I grinned, finally happy.

**Rose's P.O.V**

The sun was setting. _The sun was setting._ I really hoped no Strigoi crossed our way. "Guys, c'mon, let's get to the car. C'mon." I said to them and luckily, there was no reluctance. They'd noticed the sun setting too. I gripped my stake as we walked across the parking lot—we had been shopping here at the mall here in Baia.

Right when we got to the car, I felt my Strigoi-nausea alarm set off. Crap, crap, _CRAP_!

"Guys, drive off! I can take this!" I said to them right as a male Strigoi leaped at me, I staked him efficiently and smoothly. "NOW!" I shouted towards them just as another Strigoi—female this time—attacked me. I staked her smoothly in the heart.  
>A moment later, I heard the car drive off. I waited, looking both left and right, and then I saw something pale shot out at me and I felt myself growing unconscious...<p>

The last thing I saw was a sandbag pulled over my head. Then I fell unconscious.

I woke up in a strange but somehow familiar room. It looked as though I was back at the Royal Court, except I was in a ballroom. That was strange. The sandbag was gone, but my hands were behind my back, tied, I could tell. I tried to stand up, and it worked, but it took some effort. I walked towards the yelling and swearing crowd, and I saw Dimitri standing on the platform. Oh. Now I realized where I was.

I was at the Royal Court, and I was in the room where the Council did their meetings. Then I heard it: The sound of a bullet. I swore under my breath. I ran towards Dimitri, who was standing on the platform, stone-faced.

"Dimitri!" He turned at the sound of his name.

"Rose!" He said, relief filling his features and tone. We ran towards each other.

"What the heck is going on?" I demanded.

"It seems that Michael Christensen—"He made Michael's name sound like a curse—"started this whole mess…out of jealousy. Can you guess his intentions?" He replied in a soft but slightly dangerous tone.

"Not really..." I said honestly.

"Believe me, you don't want to know." He replied. I reached up so I could cup his face between my hands.

"Dimka…no matter what happens to me, I will always love you. If I die today, I will die knowing I love you. I love our babies, and no matter what happens to me, I want you to go on. If I die, then my heart will go on, and so should yours." I said intensely. I wiped a tear from his cheek. Over Dimitri's shoulder, I saw Tori come running in.

Our eyes met and she ran up to us, somehow managing to slip through the crowd.

"Dimka! Rose! What's going on?" Tori said, breathless as she jogged up towards us. Dimitri glanced towards her.

"Viktoria! What are you doing here? I told you to stay at home!" Dimitri exclaimed. My eyebrows shot up.

"I came to see what was happening." She replied, calm. Dimitri frowned, a little dismayed, but shrugged.

"Guess what? Adrian actually likes me back! But we're taking it slow, so we're just—"She got interrupted by a yell that stood out from the crowd: "You are NOT dating my son!" Daniella Ivashkov yelled at us. The crowd calmed down enough to stare at her. Viktoria turned, confused and shocked, and stared at Daniella.

I noticed something else: Daniella's fingers snapped and then a tough, muscled guy grabbed his gun and aimed for Viktoria. No. No. No. No!

"Tori!" Dimitri and I screamed at the same time. Dimitri tried running towards her and pushing her away, but we were about seven, eight feet away from her, and it was too late…

**Viktoria's P.O.V**

I stared, shocked, dazed, and then the bullet went so fast that it went through my chest, near my heart. I screamed so loudly it hurt my own ears. The crowd went quiet for just an instant. The pain in my chest was burning agony.

"Tori, no, no, Tori, don't…don't go!" Someone said in my ear, and I felt wetness on my cheeks and forehead.

"Dimka?" I mumbled, fading away slowly. I could see the literal, bright white light.

"_TORI! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME!"_ This time, it was Rose screaming. She better not hurt the babies…I was proud to be...a…aunt…

"I…love…you…Dimka...Rose…you guys are the best…" Then I faded out, into the comfortable white light.

**Dimitri's P.O.V**

No. I couldn't believe it; I didn't _want _to believe it. Viktoria…my baby sister…was dead. Gone. I clenched my teeth and I heard Rose crying and sobbing behind me. I stood up, trying to be calm, and lifted Viktoria in my arms. I saw Adrian run in, glancing around, and then he saw me walking towards him. I gritted my teeth to fight the tears, and I felt pursuit behind me—I could sense it was Rose—and when I was about a few feet away from Adrian, he saw Viktoria in my arms, and he looked like he'd been hit by a train.

He shook his head, like he was in denial. I didn't blame him. "No…No. No, no, Viktoria…can't be dead. No!" He then lifted a hand and touched her hair, brushing it back, tucking it behind her ears. Tears were in Adrian's eyes, and again, I didn't blame him, despite whatever reputation he had. He placed his hands on her chest, and then he closed his eyes.

"Rose, I need you to hold me up when I grow unconscious." Adrian murmured. "Set her on the—" Adrian started to speak.

"No, I'm holding her. And what are you doing?" I murmured back.

"You'll see. Now, I need to concentrate." He whispered. He squeezed his eyes tightly. I saw a glow around Viktoria's body, and I stared wide-eyed.

"Adrian, don't…Don't…" Rose murmured. "You'll be bonded to her…" Adrian didn't reply.

Then I saw the most amazing thing that had ever happened—aside from meeting Rose and going to have children with her.

My little sister opened her eyes.

**Viktoria's P.O.V**

I opened my eyes slowly, almost hesitantly, and I found myself staring into wide brown eyes. Dimitri stared back. He led us out of the room, still carrying me, and I saw Adrian unconscious. "Adrian…" I croaked, feeling groggy. I barely managed to lift a hand towards Adrian, where Rose was holding him. Rose met my eyes. She grinned but I could just barely make out slight red rims under her eyes.

"I'll come back for you, Roza." Dimitri said over his shoulder. He had a determined expression on. "My room's right next to yours, Dimka." I whispered, still groggy. He nodded and he opened the door, it was unlocked, and walked in and set me down on the bed.

"Stay." He ordered me. I shrugged and replied in a somewhat clear voice, "I need to rest, so I can't actually walk quite yet. I'd probably be wobbly." He smiled, but only a little. I could see the worry in his eyes. He left the room soon after, and I fell asleep, dreaming of Adrian…

**Rose's P.O.V**

I tried to get Adrian to stand, but he was so dang heavy! Since I was pregnant with twins, it only made it that harder to keep Adrian upright. That was when Dimitri came in the room. Luckily, the crowd was gone—including Daniella Ivashkov and the scary guy whom I'd wanted to kill for killing Tori—and Dimitri walked up to me. "Oh, thank heaven." I said, a little breathless for trying to keep Adrian upright. Dimitri half-smiled.

He lifted Adrian in his arms and then jogged out of there—probably toward Adrian's room—and I walked back toward Lissa's room. As I did, though, I felt something that shocked me the most in my entire life: I felt a flickering of Lissa's emotions. I stopped dead in my tracks.

I stared at nothing in particular. The bond—oh my gosh—gradually grew in, and after what seemed like a long time, I felt Lissa's emotions: Sick with worry, grief at Viktoria's death, though she didn't actually know that Viktoria was back, then I felt her surprise and shock at the bond. She must have felt it because of instinct and spirit. I half-ran to Lissa's room.

When I arrived there, she opened the door at the same time I'd arrived. We stared at each other, shocked.

"Rose...OH my gosh! Are you okay?" She demanded, frantic, and I felt her worry, _really_ felt it, and I smiled.

"I'm fine. Just…something shocking happened. Aside from the bond magically coming back." I replied.

"What's so shocking?" She asked, curious, and I felt her curiosity mingled with worry and confusion. I gestured for her to follow me. She did and I led her across the hall to Viktoria's room. I opened it gently, and we walked in silently. We stood in front of Tori's bed, and Lissa put her hand to her mouth, and I felt her shock and surprise and happiness all mingled in.

"Oh…" She breathed, not wanting to wake Viktoria. Tori woke up a moment later, yawning, and stretching. As she did so, she winced. She saw us and she grinned, sitting up immediately.

"Hey, Rose! Hey, Lissa! What's happened? You two look like you're shocked silly," She said, laughing.

I poked Lissa gently in her side. Lissa barely managed a smile.

"It's actually her that's shocked more. The bond came back to us, apparently. The bond where I feel Lissa's emotions." I said simply. Tori's eyebrows shot up. "_Seriously_?_" _She exclaimed. Me and Lissa nodded.

"W-o-w." Tori stretched the word into three syllables. I smiled.

"Yeah, so now what? Where's Dimitri?" Tori asked.

"He went to go put Adrian in his bed, and then he'll be back. He's probably looking for me." I said.

"Oh…Is Adrian okay? Is he hurt? Is he all right? And shouldn't I be dead?" She demanded.

"He should be okay and he's just exhausted, and he should be all right, and…well, as for that last question, he brought you back." I said, my eyes widening.

"_What?_" Lissa and Tori exclaimed.

**A/N**

**Wow, I actually managed to make it to 6000+ words! :O Definitely a first for me. Please review, and seriously guys? Tell me what you really think, thank you! :) I don't know when I'm going to end this story, but I know it's going to be a long time before I do. :) Thanks soooo much for reading! xD**

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**


	23. I love you

**Previously on Changes:**

"_Oh…Is Adrian okay? Is he hurt? Is he all right? And shouldn't I be dead?" She demanded. _

"_He should be okay and he's just exhausted, and he should be all right, and…well, as for that last question, he brought you back." I said, my eyes widening._

"_What?" Lissa and Tori exclaimed._

**I hope you like this chapter! XD**

_~TeamVampireAcademy15~_

**Rose's P.O.V**

After explaining the whole situation—about the bond apparently making itself known—to Dimitri, I knew I couldn't put off explaining the one other shocking—yet not so shocking—situation we had on our hands: Viktoria came back from the dead. Adrian had brought her back, using spirit of course, and now Adrian was unconscious, last we checked.

Even Lissa was surprised. I didn't blame her or Tori.

"Okay, so," I began, as we sat on Tori's bed, and by 'we', I mean Lissa, Christian, and Dimitri. I sighed and continued.

"Adrian brought you back using this fifth element called spirit, Lissa uses spirit too, and now you're bonded to Adrian, you'll know his thoughts—if he doesn't hide them—and emotions. Eventually, the bond will gradually sink in. Probably a while after he wakes up." I concluded.

"Oh, wait. You're shadow-kissed now. That means you'll see ghosts if you ever go out of the wards. And if Adrian ever gets really angry from healing a lot, then you'll probably take it out of him, most likely subconsciously at first. But then _you'd_ be angry, like really angry depending on how much spirit's darkness you take out of him." I finished, wondering if there was any more I should tell her.  
>She nodded, her expression calm, but I could see her eyes were worried.<p>

"Now what?" Tori asked, her forehead creasing.

Silence. Then Dimitri said: "We'll wait and see what happens, then we'll go from there. Don't worry, Tori, you have us. Especially Rose. She'll help you." Tori nodded, a tear sliding down her cheek. I wiped it away. "I understand—sort of—how you're feeling. You're wishing it'll turn out okay." I said gently and soothingly. She arched an eyebrow, the way Dimitri always did when he was confused or had some comment.

"Can you read my mind now, Rose?" She commented, smiling a little.

"Hah!" I shouted, making everyone except Dimitri jump. I'd never surprise him.

"What?" Tori said warily.

"I was right!" I exclaimed, grinning. They laughed.

_*One Month Later*_

I was 27 weeks along now, and it was the beginning of December. Adrian was already awake by now, and he wasn't surprised to find out that he was bonded to Viktoria.

I was lying next to Dimitri on my bed in my room, and we hadn't had some alone time since we'd come back from Russia. I leaned my head up to kiss him. He kissed back, soft and sweet and gentle and passionate all at once. Our lips moved almost perfectly.

The perfect kiss, I swear this was. I moved my hands across his chest, just taking him in as I did so many times before, and my hands splayed against his chest. His hand traced my thigh, and I couldn't help but notice he never seemed to get tired of studying my body.

"I love you." I murmured against his neck, and pressed a kiss to his collarbone. I leaned up and kissed his lips again.

"I swear, if you weren't pregnant…" He trailed off, making my heart race. I smiled against his lips. "And I love you too, Roza. Always will." He added in a murmur. "I'm keeping you forever and for always, Roza."

I smiled and trailed kisses down his neck, down his chest. I pulled away, lying against the pillow. He stared at me. "What?" I asked, frowning. He smiled and leaned his head down to press a kiss to my abnormally large stomach. He pressed another kiss to the same spot, and I felt Skylar kick. I winced, and Dimitri immediately noticed.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said just as Alexandra kicked. He pressed his lips against mine and it grew passionate. I twisted my hands in his hair, feeling the smooth silkiness of it, and that's when I heard a knock at the door that would change my entire perspective. I reluctantly got up and pulled away from Dimitri. I answered the door, and it revealed no other than Michael Christensen.

"What…the crap are you doing here?" I demanded. A pained expression crossed his face, and then his lips tightened as though he were disgusted. I sensed Dimitri behind me, and I felt a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back slightly. I didn't have to look to know it was Dimitri.

"Yes…what _are_ you doing here, Michael?" Dimitri asked softly, yet with a dangerous tone.

"I came because I thought I'd let you know…I'm leaving…permanently." He said softly.

"Why should I care?" I demanded. "Roza…" Dimitri's voice warned me.

"Because, Rose, you really should. You're always going to be in danger, even if you don't realize it. You may be carrying Dimitri's kids, but I'm telling you know: This woman named Galina….well, she's after you and Dimitri, particularly you, Rose. I could have not come and told you this, but I figured you ought to know. So…I guess when you grow old and all that, you'll see me in the afterlife." He replied and smiled ruefully. I stared, majorly confused, and then it clicked: Michael was going to kill himself. I grabbed his arm without thinking. He looked surprised.

"Wait. Don't go yet. I'm confused, why…why are you telling me this when I told you I didn't love you anymore? I thought you'd be upset and mad enough to not talk to me." I said, confusion coloring my tone.

He smiled, more gently than rueful.

"Well, that's the thing. I'd known, since you spoke to me that one day, when you claimed you didn't love me, that you really did love me, so I just acted upset. I was raised by actors, Rose. So I picked up a thing or two from my parents. So it's kind of obvious when a person's lying; the signs were really obvious to anyone: You wouldn't meet my eyes, you were fidgeting, and your voice broke when you spoke." He replied, and then he added,

"Well, I suppose I ought to be going, so I'll see you in the afterlife." He smiled then left before I could say anything. What the heck? I walked back in my room, and sat down on the couch, feeling a little dazed. Dimitri leaned against the door, and watched me as I processed Michael's words.

I swear, Michael was the most confusing man on this planet. I met Dimitri's eyes and he came over to sit on the edge of the couch.

"Dimitri…who's Galina?" I asked. He sighed.

"She was my old mentor. She's Strigoi now though." He replied.

"Oh. What's going to happen now?" I asked in a whisper.

He stared at me ruefully.

"I don't know, Roza. I don't know."

_*One Month Later*_

**Viktoria's P.O.V**

I was officially dating Adrian Ivashkov. We were doing the things ordinary couples would do…except, well, ordinary couples didn't usually have a bond. Well, a forced bond to be exact.

I was lounging on Adrian's bed in his own apartment, and he was lying next to me. He kept trailing kisses down my neck, across my collarbone, then back up again. Our lips met, and it was a warm, sweet kiss, like caramel. I swear I was in heaven in that moment.

_My Tori…_ Adrian thought happily. I smiled against his lips.

We'd been dating for two months now. "Tori?" He asked, pulling away so he lay on his back, but his head was turned toward me. We shared the same pillow.

"Yeah?" I asked. He kept his thoughts clouded.

"I was wondering, if you'd wanted to…I don't know…make love with me? I know it's only been a couple months, but I'll leave it up to you whether you want to or not." He said solemnly.

My breath was lost. "R-really?" I managed to stutter out.

"Yeah, but it's up to you; I won't be upset if you say no." He said quickly.

"Oh. Okay, yes. I want to. Since, apparently, it's up to me." I said, arching my eyebrow. He smiled.

Dimitri was going to be infuriated, I thought as Adrian's lips kissed across my collarbone, then further and further, and I don't want to go into too vulgar detail.

His lips pressed against my thigh, and then skimmed across my body. Our clothes were on the floor next to the bed.

We kissed passionately and hard. I moaned a tiny bit—again, I don't want to go into vulgar detail—as his hands went all over me, and then flipped me so I was on top of him. His hands went around my waist, and we kept going.

His tongue lightly traced the shape of my lips, and then he ducked down so he could press his lips against my…well, I'll just leave it to your imagination. His hands were all over me, and as his lips kept going across my chest, I felt like there was no one else in this world for me.

He brought his lips back to mine and we kissed for a long time. We finally stopped, just lying there against each other. Adrian tucked the blanket around us.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead, his lips lingering there. He spoke. "That was…amazing. More than amazing; that was glorious, but only because I was with you, Vika, I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too, Adrian, and I know I can't be without you now. You'll always be in my heart." I said quietly.

"I know; I feel the same way. It feels like we've known each other forever." He said happily.

"And we'll spend our forever…together." I said simply.

He smiled and said, "Of course. Let's sleep."

Before we could though, there was a knock at the front door. I hurried and got dressed into my bra and underwear and then borrowed one of Adrian's shirts that were big enough that hid enough of my body. It mostly showed my legs.

I walked out into the living room, and opened the door, revealing my big brother, Dimitri. His eyebrows shot up as he took in my appearance.

"I apologize for bothering you, Vika, but…why are you sweating hard? It's not that hot in here…" He trailed off, and he stared. An awkward silence fell between us.

"Vika, are you out here?" Adrian's voice called out, and I heard footsteps behind me. I felt an arm wrap around me, and I sensed it was Adrian. I felt his emotions; he was anxious and confused.

_Tori, what is it?_ He thought. I barely gave him a shake of my head, not taking my eyes off Dimitri.

"Viktoria! You're only seventeen!" Dimitri yelled, and I cringed, leaning into Adrian's side.

"Okay, let's look at this logically: Did you or did you not make love with Adrian?" Dimitri asked flatly, toneless.

Guilt tears filled my eyes. "I did…" I whispered, my voice cracking. Dimitri's eyes widened, and a furious expression crossed his face.

"Viktoria, how could you break the rule? You're only seventeen!" Dimitri exclaimed angrily.

"Hey, you didn't wait till marriage!"

"I was an exception, since Mom made the rule _after _I moved out. Viktoria…okay, I have one question for you: did you use a condom?"

"Crap." I muttered. Dimitri's eyes widened.

"Viktoria, you should have been more careful!" Dimitri exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, Belikov, it was my fault, I should have used a condom. I wasn't thinking, so don't you dare blame her." Adrian snapped at him. I felt Adrian's weariness. He was growing tired.

Dimitri sighed. "Look, Dimka, we need to rest, so see you in the morning." I said, waving him away. I started to turn, but Dimitri grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room.

"Hey! What the crap, Dimitri! Let me go!" I exclaimed.

"You're not going to lie down with him, you're too young for that, so I'm taking you to your room. If I must, I will carry you. It'd probably be easier." He replied with that darned calmness.

I gaped, anger rising inside my chest. Angry tears filled my eyes. He suddenly lifted me into his arms, and I tried to struggle, but he said quietly, "Viktoria, I just want you safe. I don't want you pregnant so young."

I grumbled, and stopped struggling. I crossed my arms across my chest, and when we got to my room, he laid me down on my bed. I ignored his worried look. I stared straight ahead.

He left the room, and I soon fell asleep with tears—again—streaming down my face.

I guess I was just always so freaking emotional.

**Rose's P.O.V**

I was 35 weeks pregnant and, of course, I loved my little babies. I was sitting on the couch, watching _The Vampire Diaries_, and I couldn't help but notice how oblivious humans were, well most humans. Sane humans; not like the humans who served Strigoi.

Dimitri was off somewhere, and I started to grow anxious. I heard a knock on my door, and I shouted, "Come in!" without taking my eyes off the T.V. Dimitri came in, and sat down beside me. I felt him press a kiss to my hair and wrap an arm around me. I smiled but didn't take my eyes off the T.V.

"What are you watching?" He asked curiously.

"_The Vampire Diaries_." I replied, still keeping my eyes glued to the screen.

"I didn't know you liked this show."

"I didn't either. I was just watching a commercial one day, and it was a preview of the next season. My favorite character—who's definitely smoking hot—is Damon Salvatore." I said, grinning up at him. He arched an eyebrow and started to speak but the show was back on and I shushed him.

An hour later, the show was over, leaving me in awe and in tears.

"No! I can_not_ believe they ended it that way!" I sobbed, crying into his chest.

"Roza, it's all right." He murmured to me.

"I know…I guess it's just mood swings that are making me cry." I said, wiping the tears with the back of my hand. He smiled, but I saw the worry in his eyes. I placed my hands on either side of his face, looking straight into the depths of his gorgeous eyes.

"Dimka…Okay, I know I am changing the subject completely randomly, but I have to— Heck, I _want _to—say this: You're beautiful to me, and I know that this is completely stupid of me to say this. But I love you, and there is nothing, _nothing _ in this world that will change that! So don't you dare over-worry about me! I love you because, well, you're you, you're my Dimitri.

"I am meant for you as you are meant for me. We've been through a lot, but we've made it through all of them and we've come this far. So don't think that we won't make it through this situation. I love you; don't ever, _ever_, forget that!" I said, not shouting, but not speaking softly either.

He smiled, and this time, his eyes were filled with love and a light that made my heart flutter. I let go of his face, and I leaned into his side and he tightened his arm around me.

"I will always love you, Roza, no matter what happens to us." He said simply. I smiled.

"I know. I love you too, of course." I replied, smiling back.

* * *

><p>The next day, I was shopping at Forever 21, a store they apparently had at Court, and as I was pushing my cart around—it was a decent sized store—I accidentally bumped into a lady with blonde hair.<p>

"Oops, sorry about that. Excuse me." I said politely to the woman. She glanced at me, her eyes narrowed, and she said harshly in a slightly thick Russian accent, "Are you Roza Hathaway?"

"Yes…" I said a little warily, confused by her harshness.

"You are with Dimitri Belikov, correct?"

"It's nothing you should concern yourself with." I replied briskly and tried to move forward but suddenly, she was right by my left shoulder, grabbing my forearm.

"He was my ex-boyfriend. I ended things with him, and he was desperate for me to come back to him. My name is Annika. Annika Anderson." She said calmly.

"Ah." I made my voice indifferent. She glared at me then walked swiftly forward, her arm dropping to her side.

I was definitely curious about Dimitri's alleged ex-girlfriend.

When I was done shopping—I'd gotten some cute baby clothes and a stroller that was made for twins—I walked back to my room, and when I arrived there, I put the stroller in the closet and I kept the clothes out, and I decided to show them to Dimitri.

I walked to his room—geez, I was walking way too much—and when I knocked on his door, he didn't answer. I then twisted the knob and pushed the door open, confused, and I saw the same lady I'd met at the store—I think her name was Annika Anderson—kissing Dimitri, actually_ kissing_ Dimitri full on the lips, and he looked as though…as though he enjoyed it.

I got a closer look at her and she was apparently Moroi.

"Dimitri!" I exclaimed, on the verge of sobbing.

He opened his eyes abruptly, seeming to realize his situation, and he tried to push her off gently—she was on top of him on the bed and he looked as though he'd been sleeping—but she just pushed _him _to the bed, and she pulled away slightly to look at him. I couldn't exactly see from the doorway, but it looked as though she was hypnotizing him, kind of.

I frowned, confused, then I got it: She was using compulsion. _Compulsion._ She was using freaking compulsion!

"Get. Off. Of. Him." I growled, walking closer. She flicked her hand at me without breaking the kiss, and I bumped into an invisible wall. I stared, shocked, then the shock formed into anger.

"Dimitri!" I screamed as loudly as I could and I had a feeling that I was going to have a sore throat later. Dimitri then fought—probably mentally along with physically—to get her off of him. I had to admit, she was a tough Moroi.

"Please. Get. Off. Me." He spoke through clenched teeth. She smiled at him, but I saw a flash of anger and determination in her eyes. He looked like he was about to fall for the compulsion, with the way a smile slowly curved upon his lips.

I screamed, "Dimka!" and he snapped out of it.

]This time, since it was necessary, he threw her off of him. Harsh, but necessary.

She looked aghast, and he ran over to me, and somehow managed to get through the invisible wall. He checked to see if I was okay, and our eyes met. I nodded, breathing heavily, and he shot Annika a cold look.

"Get out, please, _before_ I call the guardians for harassment." He said coldly. She glared back and walked past us, intentionally bumping me hard, and I shot her my trademark glare. She smiled, a particularly mean smile, and left the room. I sat down on the bed, exhausted already.

Dimitri sat beside me and wrapped an arm around me.

"Are you tired?" He asked gently. I nodded, seeing as how my throat was sore from screaming so much. I was surprised no guardians came busting down the door from the screaming. My eyelids drifted closed, and I fell asleep…dreaming.

* * *

><p>I was standing in the middle of Court, and I looked down and saw my stomach was flat.<p>

And for a moment, I felt panic, but I saw Dimitri across from where I was standing, holding Skylar and Alexandra, and Dimitri's expression…well, it's hard to say. He might have looked afraid, but he also might have looked overwhelmed with worry.

Then I saw it: A bullet headed straight for me. I tried moving, but I realized my problem. My feet were tied down to a special pole, somehow making me stand.

I stared at the bullet; it was zooming fast. "Dimitri, get out of here! I'm not letting you see this!" I yelled quickly towards where Dimitri was.

And then…

The bullet pierced my chest. I screamed, as the pain took over my body. It felt so real…it had to be real…

The dream shifted…

I was standing on top of a cloud. I was literally on _top of a cloud. _Okay, maybe not a single cloud, but more like a vast cloud that stretched across the distance.

I looked down, and I saw the earth and everyone on it as clearly as though I was standing right next to it.

I stared, confused, then glanced back up. When I did, though, I saw a dark—dark enough to be black—cloud heading—fast—towards me. I stared, and I tried to move, and this time, I could. So I jumped, and when I did…

…I woke up.

"Oh my heck…" I murmured to myself, and I saw that Dimitri was on his side, next to me. My throat was dry, so I went to get a glass of water from Dimitri's bathroom. When I came back out, after chugging down the water, I laid back down next to Dimitri, and wrapped my arm around his waist, while being careful not to wake him up…

The next morning, I woke up and let Dimitri get his rest; he needed it. I walked out of his room, and headed towards Lissa's room. I felt through the weird—massive understatement, I know—bond that she wasn't getting hot and heavy with Christian, thankfully.

I just walked in like it was my own room—Lissa wouldn't hold it against me, she never did—and I saw Lissa and Christian sitting on their bed, wrapped in each other's arms. Lissa was crying. "What's wrong? What did you do?" I directed that last question towards Christian.

"Rose…it wasn't his fault…it's just that...Oh Christian!" She sobbed into his chest. I glanced at him, desperate to know what was going on. He drew in a sharp breath and met my eyes.

"Mia was fighting a battle with Eddie and several other guardians…and a Strigoi got a hold of her and completely drained her of blood. She was dead by the time they too her to the clinic. She's already buried. You missed her funeral. Her last words were, '_Don't let Rose die so young…danger is coming for her_.' Or something like that." Christian said all this in a whisper.

Oh no.

Why me?

**A/N**

**I'm cruel, aren't I? I know I left you with a major cliffhanger, but I'll write more A.S.A.P. :) In the meantime, review and tell me what you think please! Thanks! Also, I finished Carrie Jones's last book in her book trilogy: Entice. The first two books are Need and Captivate. I strongly recommend them. Thanks!**

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~ **


	24. happy

**A/N**

**Hey! XD I hope you liked the previous chapter! =) Please, **_**please**_** review on this chapter! Thanks! =) **

**Also, please tell me your opinions on whether I should write a new Vampire Academy story. I'm still thinking of the details of what it would be about. I was thinking a summary like this: **

_Rose is 15 years old, and she is training to be a guardian for Lissa Dragomir. But something suddenly happens to Rose, and she will never be the same again. She becomes haunted by the memories of what had happened to her. She grows depressed and somewhat fragile, and Lissa disappears mysteriously. When it seems like everyone she's ever loved abandons her, somebody mysterious—and gorgeous—lifts her up as she starts to fall..._

_Dimitri will be Rose's hero. _

**It'd probably be called, **_**Hero**_** or something along the lines of that. **

**Tell me your honest opinion on this summary! Thanks! xD **

**Here's the chapter! =) **

**Rose's P.O.V**

I was crying practically nonstop since I heard that Mia died. I was clinging to Dimitri, never wanting him to let me go. Aside from the sadness and grief I felt,

I was in shock and disbelief. I could not believe that Mia was dead. I didn't know how Eddie was feeling, but I knew he was feeling just as grieved as me.

Dimitri led me to the bed, and I was feeling suddenly exhausted. I fell asleep, crying into Dimitri's shoulder, as soon as my head touched the pillow.

**Eddie's P.O.V **

_I could have saved her. _ I would tell myself this for the rest of my long life.

I couldn't believe Mia was gone. She was…amazing. I mean, we were great friends and all but I didn't actually tell her how I really felt. It was too late. I loved her and I couldn't save her. I couldn't freaking save her!

I slammed my fist on my bedside table. I was sitting on the edge of my bed in my room, tormenting myself. I missed her, and my heart feels empty. Mia had always made everything better, though there were awkward moments…

A tear slid down my cheek. I remembered the Strigoi fight as clearly as anything else I'd committed to memory….

_*FLASHBACK*_

"Watch out Mia!" I yelled over my shoulder as the Strigoi came up behind her.

I staked my Strigoi as quickly as I could but by the time I turned around, the Strigoi was already drinking from her, no doubt going to completely drain her blood. I ran to her and punched the Strigoi as hard as I could.

It had enough force in it that he staggered back. He glared at me, then he smiled maliciously and laughed cruelly before turning around and running with that speed all Strigoi had somewhere else.

I dropped to my knees beside Mia, crying, and she barely half-opened her eyes and said in a groggy whisper, "Don't let Rose die so young…danger is coming for her." Then her eyes went blank. I held her in my arms, staring down at her, wishing I could have saved her.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I tightened my hold on Mia, letting my tears fall on her pretty face.

"Guardian Castile, we must go. The battle is over." A voice said.

I recognized it as Hans Croft. I didn't want to loosen my hold on Mia, but I had to follow orders. I lifted Mia into my arms, and walked over to one of the Court vans, and I stepped in, still holding Mia.

By the time we got to the Court, a guardian took Mia from me. _Oh crap,_ I thought. Mia's dad. He'd already lost his wife…now Mia.

I stepped out and I saw Mia's dad running over to us. He saw Mia, and his eyes bulged. I kept my face composed, though it was hard when I saw the expression on his face.

He was heartbroken. I couldn't blame him, but who could? He had lost his wife to Strigoi, now his own daughter.

The guardian gave Mia to her dad. He then took Mia in his arms, and stared down at her. A tear slid down his face.

He carried Mia away, walking towards the cemetery. He was probably going to bury Mia himself.

I didn't know though. I went to my room, and sat down on the edge of my bed, thinking.

_*END OF FLASHBACK*_

Man, I missed Mia. I should have told her how I felt, but I was a coward. I loved her, and I was stupid enough not to tell her. I couldn't believe she was gone.

It was like my heart was empty…I probably would never be the same without her. She'd always made me laugh; she never made me cry.

The tears started as I thought of how beautiful Mia had looked with her blond hair and blue eyes…

**Rose's P.O.V**

I woke up, feeling groggy, and my throat was sore, again, from so much crying. Mia was one of my friends and I couldn't even imagine how Eddie must feel.

I sat up, careful of my torso, and saw that Dimitri was staring at me, concern in his eyes. I forced a smile and said as nonchalantly as I could,

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Well. Now I'm fine." I nodded to myself. I glanced up at him, forcing a grin, and I saw the concern seemed to grow in his eyes.

"La, la, la, la…Ponies! Ponies! La, la, la, la, la, la! La, la, la, la! Wheeeee, I'm in an airplane! Why did Mia have to die?" I suddenly wailed, and Dimitri wrapped an arm around me, pressing a kiss to my hair.

I felt his lips linger there.

"Dimitri…was I babbling?" I asked timidly. I felt his warm breath on my hair as he spoke.

"I wouldn't say 'babbling' but you were definitely a little…" He trailed off.

"Delirious?" I supplied, embarrassed. I averted my eyes, which were wet.

"Roza, you have nothing to be ashamed about. It's part of pregnancy."

I didn't answer; my face was flushed with embarrassment. I gritted my teeth and spoke through them:

"If I wasn't pregnant, I would've searched high and low for that idiotic Strigoi who'd killed Mia." I clenched my fists, angry.

"That's the Rose I know." Dimitri laughed.

"I'm glad I amuse you." I said, raising my eyebrows but smiling a little. My smile faded.

"I miss Mia, she was my friend." I whimpered, snuggling into Dimitri's side.

"I know you do, Roza. I wouldn't put it past you to hunt down the Strigoi once our babies are born." A moment of silence and then he said, "I just gave you an idea, didn't I?" in a knowing voice.

"Yeah, you kind of did." I grinned.

He sighed, but I saw the amusement in his eyes. I fell asleep snuggled next to Dimitri.

The next morning, I woke up and noticed Dimitri was gone. I saw a note on the bedside table and for a moment, I felt panic, then I picked it up and in Dimitri's handwriting, it said,

_Roza, I got called in to do filing and landscaping. I'll be back this afternoon. I love you with all my heart and our children too, _

_-Dimitri. _

I smiled, and I hoped he would make it back this afternoon, if they didn't torture him with their pitchforks and torches. Okay, that was a joke, one that didn't really make much sense, but hey, when has my life made sense?

I shrugged it off, and got up—being careful with my torso—and went to the fridge to get something to eat.

I grabbed something simple: a chocolate glazed donut.

After I finished eating it, I licked icing off my fingers and walked out the room. I went to visit Lissa, to comfort her, but I felt through the bond that she was making out with Christian, since they couldn't actually get hot and heavy since Lissa was pregnant.

I sighed and changed direction. I went outside to the Court. The moon was out, shining, and Moroi were out doing their own thing. I had to go to the clinic for an appointment.

I arrived at the clinic a moment later. I stepped inside, and a nurse immediately led me into a room and gently pushed me onto the bed. I lay down on the bed on my back, feeling relaxed and relieved from walking.

A female doctor walked in and her nametag said, Lily B., on it.

"Hello, how are you feeling, Rose?" She asked kindly. I smiled.

"Okay, the babies are kicking me a little harder than usual, but other than that, I'm coping." I said casually, working hard to keep my voice level.

She nodded and glanced at her clipboard she was holding. She looked stunned at what she read on the clipboard and then did a double take. She glanced up at me, and said, in a stunned tone,

"Apparently, you're having a boy. The report from what John—he's the doctor that had said you were having two female twins—wrote on this, says that you're actually having a boy. I don't know whether I should say sorry or congratulations. Were you hoping for two girl twins?"

"Not exactly, well, not right when I found out I was pregnant. I don't mind having a baby boy, it's all right." I smiled reassuringly and she sighed in relief.

"Okay then. Congratulations, Rose, make sure you tell the father if he's in the picture. Oh and also, you're 38 weeks along, therefore nine months along. 'Kay?"

"Okay. Thank you. I'll let him know when he's off work." I replied. I was having a baby boy. Honestly? I didn't mind, so long as I still _was_ carrying a baby.

My life couldn't possibly get any better or happier.

I walked back to the house Dimitri and I lived in—we'd taken a break from it so it could get slightly renovated, so we'd been living in our previous rooms while it was renovated—and it was done being renovated.

I walked inside to see Dimitri sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper intently. There was a mug of coffee beside him on the side table.

He was so intent on the paper that he didn't seem to notice my approach. I decided to sneak around the couch, as silently as possible, and when I was behind the couch, I opened my mouth to try to startle him for once in his life, but he said, "Hello, Roza." in a slightly amused voice.

I groaned loudly and threw my hands up in exasperation and annoyance. "Why the crap can't I scare you? That just proves you're invincible!" I exclaimed, putting my hands on my hips and glaring at him.

He shifted so he was half-facing me. He set the newspaper down. He grinned—one of the full, amused, warm ones that I loved—and my glare melted into oblivion as he looked amused.

I frowned and then my lips parted as I stared at him, mesmerized. His smile dropped into a confused frown, and his eyebrows pushed together.

"What?" He asked, obviously confused.

"Nothing…" I said, still slightly mesmerized by the way his mouth moved. _Oh, please smile, please, please…_

"Are you all right? You're freaking me out a little, Roza." He said slowly, enunciating every word.

"I'm fine." I said automatically, still dazed. He just arched an eyebrow. _Please smile, please, please, please…_

A moment of silence then he just burst out laughing. I snapped out of my daze and glared at him. He practically doubled over in laughter, and this time, I just stared at him, completely lost, and he finally regained his control. Somewhat.

"Okay, then. Well, where did you go? I got home earlier than I expected and I found that you went somewhere." He said casually, as though the weird staring didn't happen.

"Um…" My mouth felt dry.

I forgot for a moment…then: "Oh, yeah! We're having a boy, apparently, instead of female twins. I bet you're happy." I teased him, poking his shoulder.

He smiled and replied, "That's amazing, and a little surprising to say the least, but I would still be happy if we were having two beautiful baby girls."

I smiled back and walked around the couch to sit next to him, leaning against his side. He wrapped an arm around my waist, and I felt perfectly content in that moment.

"I love you, Dimitri..." I said, yawning hugely. I didn't hear his response because I fell asleep almost immediately.

I dreamt of my lover, my life, and my handsome son.

**A/N**

**Hey, I hope you liked this chapter and feel free to ask any—**_**any**_**—questions that you might have. Please, please tell me what you think about the aforementioned summary. Thanks! xD **

**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**


	25. heaven

**A/N**

_**Hey! :) Sorry, I haven't updated on this story, I've just been working on my other recent story, **_**Haunted By The Memories**_**, so if you have time, check it out. Thanks =) **_

_**Anyway…I hope you'll like this chapter, and it's official: this is my 25**__**th**__** chapter. It's apparently the only story I'd written on here with the most chapters so far. :) So please review at the end, and tell me what you think! :) Thank you! **_

_**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**_

**Rose's P.O.V**

I woke up the next morning and I sat up on the couch. I noticed Dimitri was gone. I wasn't bothered; he was probably somewhere else, like guardian duties or something like that. He couldn't be by my side 24/7 after all. I got up off the couch, careful of my torso, and headed towards the kitchen.

I went to the fridge, and leaned down carefully to take out a carton of milk. After taking out a glass from the cupboard, I poured myself a glass of milk.

I chugged it down, and put the glass in the sink. I turned around and Viktoria was right in front of me. I jumped in surprise, and nearly spilled the carton of milk.

"Geez, Tori! You scared the crap out of me!" I exclaimed. She grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Rose. I just needed to talk to you." She said, a little nervously.

"Okay, all right. Sorry for yelling at you." I replied.

"It's all right. Rose, I think you should sit down." She gestured toward the couch in the living room. I nodded warily, slowly, and put away the carton of milk and then walked toward the living room. I sat down on the couch, and she sat down beside me.

"Okay, Rose. Now, don't get upset. Dimitri left to go to Russia, to see the rest of his family. And to tell them in person that you're going to have a baby boy instead of two girls." She winced, as though afraid I was going to scream. I smiled serenely. She glanced up at me. She frowned at my expression.

"I'm fine with it, though I would appreciate it if he'd told me before he'd left." I said calmly.

"Oh, that's the other thing. He didn't really have time to tell you, since he had to get going." She shrugged.

"Oh."

"Yeah…I know; you must miss him. But he'll be back in a few days."

"Okay." I smiled again, happy that Dimitri was going to see his family again. Just, the only downside was, he was going without me.

"So, how are you and Adrian doing?" I asked, changing the subject. She looked nervous.

"Uh, we're doing fine." She replied nervously.

"Okay." I tilted my head so I stared up at the ceiling. Viktoria didn't know how much I missed Dimitri, even though I knew he'd be back. It was like my heart couldn't beat another minute without him.

It was like I missed him so much, even if he was only temporarily gone, it ached.

I knew he would be back. But the question was, if I was the one pregnant, then why wouldn't he bring me along? I thought I knew the answer: because he wanted to be the one to tell them. I guessed that was the answer.

_Oh well,_ I thought.

When I glanced back at Tori, I noticed she was looking at me with concern. Before I could say I was fine, her eyes widened, went blank for a moment like she was focusing hard on something, then she got up and ran toward the front door and opened it and ran out, slamming the door behind her. I'd only blinked once and she was already gone.

Dimitri was already gone. I sighed, and decided to go to the clinic, partly for something to do, and mostly to check on my son.

When I arrived at the clinic, I checked in and the receptionist told me to go straight into the one of the rooms.

I did and laid down on the bed they'd had. It was actually comfortable. It looked more like a bed than most clinic rooms, except it was raised so the doctor wouldn't have to lean down.

I folded my hands across my stomach, and felt my son kick.

The doctor came in soon after I'd lain down, and his nametag said, _Mark_. He smiled at me kindly and walked toward the monitor across from me.

"How are you feeling, Rose? Have you had any unusual symptoms?"

"I'm feeling good, a little hungry, but nothing unusual." I replied. He nodded and walked back over to me. He squeezed some gel onto my abnormally huge stomach, and used a probe to rub the gel all over my torso. The monitor came to life, and I saw my son. I smiled, tears already streaming down my face, as I watched my son on the monitor.

"So, it looks like he's all right, and do you want to know how far you're along?" He asked and I nodded, still staring at my son. He glanced at his clipboard and he spoke.

"You're 39 weeks along. The report says that your due date is in…" He glanced down to double check, I think, then he glanced back up. "…five days. A little less than a week. Come here the day before you go into labor. Okay?" He asked.

I nodded and carefully got up. I walked towards the door and headed out into the hallway.

I whistled cheerfully and started swinging my arms, like I didn't have a care in the world. I bumped into someone's back, and I was surprised to see it was Dimitri after he turned around.

"Oh. Hey. You're back already? It hasn't been a few days." I said, and then added, "Oh by the way, my due date is in five days. I have to be here the day before I go into labor."

He nodded, not saying anything, and took my hand and guided me out the door, since I obviously couldn't see my feet. I had to be careful nowadays to not trip.

I noticed that his lips tightened very subtly. "Dimitri, what's wrong?" I asked in a low voice. His eyes…well, they looked furious and worried at the same time.

"Viktoria's pregnant." He said calmly, but I could tell there was an undercurrent of anger in his voice.

I gaped. "Are you serious?" I whispered. He nodded once. "O-oh. Man, I wonder how Tori's feeling…and Adrian." We arrived at the house just then and Dimitri opened the door for me. I smiled briefly to show my thanks and then it faded when we walked in.

I couldn't believe it. I sat down on the couch, and winced at how my son kicked hard. "So, what do you want to name our son?" I asked, shifting so I leaned carefully against Dimitri's shoulder. I felt him wrap an arm around my waist.

"Whatever works for me, Roza." He replied calmly. This time, the undercurrent of anger was gone. I thought about it.

"Does Jaden work for you?" I asked. He smiled.

"Of course; that's a good name for our son." His eyes seemed to twinkle whenever he said, _our son_.

I tilted my head and kissed his lips. Our lips moved perfectly as he kissed back. Our tongues seemed to mold together, and then his lips moved down to my neck, trailing kisses down my neck and across my collarbone. I couldn't resist; I brought his head back up. I twisted my fingers in his hair as we kissed. This felt like heaven.

I loved Dimitri so much that it seemed like my heart had too much room for this much love. I loved my son, and, of course, I loved my life.

Okay, that was cheesy, but I did. I always would. Just like I always would love Dimitri. My Dimitri, and my son, Jaden. I knew something tragic was bound to happen, like with Mia's death, but I would handle it as best as I could.

I broke the kiss and I gazed into his deep gorgeous eyes. I yawned, suddenly feeling exhausted. I fell asleep almost instantly.

I woke up the next morning, feeling refreshed. I noticed I was in my room and I carefully got up. I grabbed my I-Pod and it was on shuffle. I popped the ear buds in and turned it on.

I pressed play and the song that played was, _Skyscraper_ by **Demi Lovato**.

I headed downstairs and decided to watch some T.V. I sat down on the couch and shifted into a position where my head was propped against the arm of the couch and my legs were stretched in front of me. I picked up the remote and put on a channel where it was a soap opera.

I shut my eyes and listened to the song that was playing in my ears.

It ended and the next song that played was _Just a Kiss_, by **Lady Antebellum**.

Then, abruptly, I felt a hand over my mouth. My eyes opened immediately and the first thing I saw was a guy completely covered in black. Then his fist raised and came straight toward my head…

…then I saw nothing at all.

**A/N**

_**I hope you liked this chapter! =) Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks! **_

_**~TeamVampireAcademy15~**_


	26. happier

**Author's Note**

**I'm sorry for not updating on this story for a long, long time! **

**I've just been busy with other things…**

**So, I hope you'll like this chapter, and review! Thanks so much! :)**

***~TeamVampireAcademy15~***

**Rose's P.O.V**

I woke up with a major headache.

I opened my eyes and realized I wasn't on the couch in mine and Dimitri's house.

Where was I?

I took in my surroundings. The walls were concrete—even I could tell in the dim lighting, thanks to my dhampir senses—and the room was average sized, about the size of an average living room.

What was I doing here?

I realized I was sitting on a couch, with my legs tied, and my arms tied, and I couldn't escape.

Then I remembered what happened while I had been listening to music….

A guy had been wearing all black, and his fist had come out to my head, and then I had seen nothing at all…

That must have been how I'd gotten here. No other explanation.

"Hey! Whoever's out there, you better let me go! I have no reason for being here!_ LET ME GO_!" I screamed, knowing I was going to make my throat hoarse.

Then the door opened, and a man walked through. He was a really, really tall, black haired man with green eyes.

"Hello, Rosemarie. My name is Ben Belikov, yes; my son is Dimitri, the one who'd beat me up years ago, and he is the father of your baby son you are going to have, correct?"

**A/N: It doesn't mention Dimitri's dad's first name in the books obviously, so I decided to make his first name Ben. **

I didn't say anything. I just kept my features neutral—or as neutral as I could manage.

"Yes, I know he is your lover. I've been watching you, Rosemarie, and if you weren't carrying a child, I would have killed you by now. But, seeing as how I'd hate to kill pregnant women, I'd rather wait until you have the child. Then, once the child is born, I am going to kill you and make you suffer."

I couldn't take it anymore. "_Kill _me? _Why_?" I demanded. Dimitri's dad made no sense…

He smirked at my outburst. "Why? Because you don't deserve to be with Dimitri. And because it is illegal for you to be with him, considering he is seven years older than you; am I not correct?

"And also, well, he deserves Lady Ozera more than he deserves you. You know her. Tasha is her first name. Anyway, my point is that you have done illegal things, and I've noticed.

"Well, maybe not every single thing you've done that was wrong I've noticed, but still most things that you've done I've either noticed or someone has told me."

"That's just stupid. Murder is higher up on the list of illegal stuff than an eighteen year old being with a twenty-five year old man."

"Yes, perhaps, but my reasons to kill you are legitimate."

I rolled my eyes. He was such an idiot.

"Now, since you're going to be due for childbirth any minute now…" He checked his watch.

"Please. I'm not going to be due for like five days." I said.

"Maybe, maybe not. We'll just have to see, won't we?" He smirked.

He was about to add something else until the door slammed open, making both me and Ben jump.

It was Dimitri.

He strode over to me, and untied me, and then he strode over to Ben.

I didn't know what expression Dimitri had on his face since his back was turned to me.

But I swear, I saw legitimate fear in Ben Belikov's eyes.

Dimitri threw a punch at his face that knocked Ben across the room.

I stared, wide-eyed, torn between feeling instinctive protectiveness for the Moroi and feeling grateful that Dimitri came to rescue me.

Dimitri swept me into his arms, and raced out of there without jostling me too much.

"How'd you find me?" I asked as soon as we were in the car, which was a Honda.

"Well, I bumped into one of his guards, demanding to know where you were, and for some reason, he was intimidated by me, so he gave me the address to where you were."

"Oh. Well, thanks for finding me. He was going to kill me, apparently, once the baby was born."

"What?" He said through clenched teeth. He gripped the steering wheel harder.

I nodded. "Yeah, he claimed he had 'legitimate reasons' to kill me."

"Why on earth would he want to kill you?"

"I dunno," I lied. I knew why he wanted to kill me.

Because Ben didn't think that I deserved Dimitri. He didn't think that Dimitri deserved me.

But no way was I going to tell Dimitri that.

Honestly, I didn't think I deserved Dimitri either. But I wasn't saying that I agreed with Ben…

"Rose, tell me the truth."

I sighed. "Fine. He didn't think I deserved you and that you didn't deserve me." That was all he was going to get out of me.

"Those are idiotic reasons for murder," He commented.

"I know! That's what I said! He's, like, an idiot. Oh, er, no offense."

"Oh, don't worry about offending me; I think he's an idiot too. And many more harsh opinions."

"Oh. What're they?" I asked eagerly. He just gave me a look.

As soon as we arrived at the Royal Court, my water broke.

"Dimitri?" I said.

"Yes, Rose?"

"My water broke."

"It's time?" He asked; eyes wide. I nodded.

We arrived at the hospital a while later. I was in a hospital bed, having contractions. I was sweating so badly I was drenched.

Then it was time for me to go into labor.

My mother, Janine Hathaway, was here, but in the waiting room.

Along with my father, Abe Mazur, who was also in the waiting room.

And also Lissa, Christian, Eddie and Viktoria were in the waiting room.

A few hours later, I was holding mine and Dimitri's son. He was precious.

"I don't think we should name him Jaden," I breathed, still gazing into our son's brown eyes, which were so much like Dimitri's.

He also had a curl of dark brown hair on his head, which was so much like mine.

"Then what should we name him?" Dimitri asked softly, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Let's name him Logan.…if that's okay with you?" I asked in a whisper.

He nodded. "It's fine with me. And he does look like a Logan." He noted softly.

"I don't mean to interrupt," The nurse began.

"Oh, it's all right. What is it?" I asked softly.

"I need to ask you two a few questions. It's not an interrogation, don't worry," She smiled kindly. "Just things we need to know."

"Okay," I said, exchanging a glance with Dimitri.

"Are you two planning on keeping your son?" She asked, glancing between us.

"Yes," Dimitri and I said at the same time. She chuckled softly.

"Okay, so, do you have a name for your son yet, or are you still debating?"

"Logan," Dimitri and I said, again, at the same time. She laughed softly. Or as softly as the nurse could manage.

"Okay. Now I need you two to sign the birth certificate after I ask you this last question. Does he have a middle name?"

This time, Dimitri and I didn't answer right away; we exchanged surprised looks.

"Um…what do you think his middle name should be?" I asked.

"How about Michael?" He asked.

"Sure. So his middle name is Michael."

"All right," She said, writing it down on the clipboard. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, this is the last question. My apologies. What's his last name going to be? Belikov or Hathaway?"

"Um." I was torn between the two. "What do you, um, think, Dimitri?"

He thought about it. "How about Belikov? Logan Michael Belikov, that sounds like a name that fits our son."

"Okay." I nodded.

"Okay, here's the birth certificate," She handed us a slip of paper with fancy writing on it, and Dimitri signed his name first and then I signed mine. And mine was sloppy compared to Dimitri's cursive handwriting.

"Okay, now, you get to keep that, okay?" She smiled. "Oh, and you need to stay a few days here, before going home, all right?" She said to me.

I nodded. "Okay."

I grew tired a moment later and fell asleep, holding my precious baby…

* * *

><p>I woke up in mine and Dimitri's house. I must have been out for a few days.<p>

I saw Logan in the crib, sleeping. It felt weird not having him inside me.

I glanced down and saw that my stomach was flat; I had no extra body fat pregnant women get after birth.

Dimitri came in the room a moment later, carrying a tray.

The tray held two plates of bacon and eggs…even a couple chocolate glazed donuts. I smiled. There was also a glass of orange juice.

"Aw, thanks, Dimitri," I said as he set the tray down on the bedside table.

"You're so sweet," I added, touching his cheek with my fingertips. He smiled.

"Anytime, Roza. I figured you'd need it, since giving birth to our son a few days ago." He leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"Now eat," He said sternly. "I don't want you not eating." He added.

I nodded and began eating the food.

About ten minutes later, I was done, and finished the last of my orange juice. Man, I was hungry.

"That was delicious, Dimitri. I didn't expect you to be a good cook." I smiled. He smiled back.

"I've learned to cook new foods when I was younger," He replied.

"Really? I didn't know that," I said, my eyebrows raised.

He nodded. I got up then to check on Logan who was lying in his crib.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Roza, your parents are coming over later. So is Viktoria."

"Okay, thanks for telling me." I said as I changed Logan's diaper.

"You're a natural," Dimitri suddenly said after a moment of comfortable silence.

I put a new diaper on Logan, and picked him up carefully.

I held him for the first time since giving birth to him. It felt so natural, so right for me to be a mother.

"A natural at what?" I asked Dimitri, though my eyes never once strayed from Logan's.

He was so precious.

"At being a mother. It was unexpected. I never thought you could manage it."

"Well, gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," I laughed.

He shook his head, serious. "It's true. I never thought you could manage it. But I was wrong, obviously. You're meant to be a mother, and you're amazing at it."

I smiled. "Well. I guess it just goes to show you if you put your mind to it, you can do just about anything."

"I suppose. But I've never really believed in that saying. It isn't relevant."

I shrugged. "But if I were really a natural at being a mom, don't ya think I should be able to, like, cook tons of different foods? I mean, aren't moms or—or aunts made for that?" I almost said, _or wives_. That was a close call.

"Not every mother. Sometimes, the dad stays at home and cleans and cooks, while the mom is at work. Every situation, every family, is different."

"True."

We went downstairs, and I let Dimitri hold Logan.

We sat down on the couch facing the front door, waiting for my parents and Dimitri's younger sister to get here.

"Are you happy that you're a father?" I murmured.

He smiled adoringly at his son. "No, I am not happy. I am ecstatic."

I grinned.

The doorbell chimed and I got up to answer it. My mother and father were standing there.

"Come on in, Mom, Abe," I said, gesturing them in. "Dimitri's holding Logan,"

"Welcome, Janine, Mr. Mazur," Dimitri greeted them as he walked over to us, still carrying Logan.

My mother's eyes widened as she stroked her grandson's cheek. I was shocked to see tears flow down her cheeks, and Abe, noticing my mother's tears, quickly wiped them away.

"I can't believe I'm a grandmother so…so soon. He's so cute!" She exclaimed, shocking us all. Then, surprising me more, she blushed.

Then she glared at us, so much more like the Janine we knew.

"What, a grandmother can't feel emotion now? Guardians can feel emotional! For heaven's sake…" She muttered unintelligibly.

I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Aw, c'mon Mom, even you have to admit that you rarely feel emotional. You, Janine Hathaway, are hardly emotional. You're usually more brisk and serious than teasing and emotional. And you suck at jokes." I grinned.

"What? I do not!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, ya do." I laughed again.

We then exchanged wits back and forth until the doorbell chimed, making me and—yes, even Janine—jump.

I answered the door and squealed when I saw Viktoria. I hugged her carefully, knowing she was pregnant, and ushered her in.

"So, how far are you along?" I asked her eagerly, ignoring Dimitri's angry expression.

Tori looked nervous, almost afraid, when she glanced at Dimitri. I didn't blame her. Dimitri needed to take a chill pill.

"I'm four months along. I'm going by months, not weeks by the way." She replied.

"Okay, so lemme guess, Adrian's the father?" I asked.

"Maybe," She said vaguely.

"Oh, c'mon, he is your boyfriend, after all. And You shouldn't be afraid of Dimitri. It's not like he's some monster that's out to hurt you or anything. But he does need to take a chill pill, 'cause he's overreacting."

"I'm right here, Rose. You don't need to talk about me while I'm in the room. And while I may be angry that Adrian is the father, I know that it was Viktoria's choice in the first place. I have no right to get upset over something that wasn't my choice."

I smiled. That was the Dimitri I knew. So understanding, so caring….

"So, Adrian is the father?" I said, just wanting to make sure.

"Yup, he is." Tori replied. "Thank you, Dimka, for understanding." She smiled a little.

He smiled too.

After Lissa, Christian and Eddie arrived, I sat down on the couch next to Dimitri and held Logan in my arms so they could all see.

They crowded around the baby so they could get a better look.

"Aww!" Lissa cooed.

"He's…adorable," Christian said with awe.

"He's just like you guys, Rose," Eddie grinned.

I smiled.

I couldn't be happier.

**Author's Note**

**I hope you liked it! :) **

**Please review and tell me what ya think, thanks so much! :D **

**I'll update ASAP!**

***~TeamVampireAcademy15~***


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